Bridge to the Other Side
by rubylucasridinghoodmeghanory
Summary: RedBeauty goes to Hogwarts :) (includes SwanQueen and maybe SleepingWarrior) This is a fanfic that I'm writing with redbeautyftw who you should all check out on Tumblr by the way. It is amazingly fun, and I hope you guys like it.
1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day. Belle French took her usual spot under a quiet willow tree to study. There wasn't a particular subject she needed a refresher on; she just liked to read. It helped her mind prepare for the day ahead. There was a slight breeze blowing through the air causing her hair to gently brush across her face. She tucked it behind her ear as she tried to focus on the words in front of her.

But there was one problem.

Her normally peaceful time alone was being shattered by the shouts of Ruby Lucas and her band of obnoxious gallivants who were playing some sort of game directly below her. They were throwing a fanged frisbee back and forth, and its loud snarls were mixing with their excited cheers.

Belle wasn't upset because they were having fun. It was just so peaceful until they had come barging into the scenery as if from nowhere, and the worst part of it all was Ruby Lucas.

Like Belle, Ruby was a Gryffindor, and to be honest, there wasn't a better house for her. She wasn't evil like the Slytherins or super smart like the Ravenclaws, and she was much too thickheaded to be in Hufflepuff, so here she was in the House of the brave. Here she was stuck with Belle.

_Why couldn't she just go home and stop losing Gryffindor points? Who cares if she's the best Seeker to play at Hogwarts in ten years?_ Belle thought bitterly as she slammed her book shut and shoved it into her bag.

She was just about to stand up and head to the peace and quiet of the library when the fanged frisbee flew over her head. Out of the blue, Ruby leapt up and caught it firmly in her hand just as her legs flew out from underneath her, and she toppled forward into Belle's lap.

"Excuse you!" Belle exclaimed. Her expression was horrified as she looked down at the girl whose face was planted firmly in her lap.

Ruby looked up, a slick grin plastered on her lips. "So sorry, Princess," she responded sarcastically as she pushed herself to her knees. She reached behind Belle, never breaking eye contact, the grin never fading. "You know, if you took your nose out of those books every once and awhile, maybe you'd learn how to catch one of these things." She tapped Belle on the head with the frisbee receiving a dirty look for her effort.

"Lucas! Come on!" Graham yelled, his arms extended at his side. "We've only got ten more minutes before we have to suffer through Snape!"

Ruby looked back at her friends. "Okay! I'm coming!" She turned back to Belle, the disgusted look still covering her face. Ruby chuckled as she reached out and tousled Belle's hair. "See you in class." She hopped to her feet and tossed the frisbee to her friend before running back to them.

Belle huffed, running her hand through her hair to correct what Ruby had ruined. She pushed herself to her feet, brushing the grass off of her skirt. She gripped her bag tightly as she stomped away from the noise. That Ruby Lucas drove her insane. Always mocking her. Calling her inane nicknames. She knew nothing about her. _What gave her the right…_

Belle stopped in mid step as she closed her eyes. She breathed in and out several times to calm herself. She didn't understand why she allowed someone she barely knew to aggravate her so much. Maybe it was because Ruby was such a disruption. Whether it was celebrating loudly in the common room over another Quidditch victory or getting points taken away for breaking the rules. She was constantly invading the quiet bubble Belle surrounded herself in. She gripped the strap on her bag, checking her watch. She didn't have much time to go to the library now. Once again, she could thank Ruby Lucas for ruining what little peaceful time she had.

She made her away down the hall, passing other students as she went. She stopped in front of the potions room, opening the door quietly. The first class was still in session. She sighed and walked toward the large window sill. She placed her bag on the floor and sat down, bringing her feet to rest on the space in front her. She opened another potions book and began to read.

The muffled sounds outside the window drew her attention. Her head turned to see Ruby walking toward the building with the others, Graham and August jumping wildly behind her as she laughed. Belle watched her, never noticing before how bright and wide the girl's smile was. How her eyes crinkled when she laughed. She quickly shook her head, clearing her throat as she returned her attention to her book.

But of course, Belle was not allowed to have a minute of peace. "Hey, Belle," a mean voice sneered from down the hall. She looked up and immediately rolled her eyes at Gaston, who was flanked by his friends Victor and Jefferson. "What are you reading?" he asked as they sauntered up to her, hands buried in their pockets.

"None of your business," she replied sharply, turning back to her book only to have it snatched from her hands.

"Why do you read these stupid things anyway?"

"I like to broaden my knowledge," Belle smirked. "It kind of explains why you're such an idiot. … Now give it back," she added firmly.

Gaston held the book out to her, but when she reached for it, he tossed it to Victor, who threw it to Jefferson, who opened it curiously for a second before receiving a glare from Gaston and throwing it to him.

"I'll tell you what, Belle. I'll give it back if you go on a date with me," he winked, holding it above her head as if she were a child.

"There is no chance in hell that I would ever consider dating someone like you." Belle was about to whip out her wand when somebody got there first. "Levicorpus!" Ruby shouted, a grin plastered on her face as Gaston rose into the air by his ankle.

Everyone on the ground laughed at him when he dropped Belle's book on the ground, his wand clattering beside it.

"Put me down, you whore!"

"Not until you say the magic word," she taunted as Graham gave her an appreciative slap on the back.

"Miss Lucas," a bored, nasally voice rang through the hall as Professor Snape stepped out of his classroom. "Put him down."

"Sorry, Professor," she said with a grin. "Liberacorpus," and Gaston fell face-first onto the floor next to his wand.

Ruby was still laughing as she leaned over to pick up Belle's book.

"20 points from Gryffindor, Miss Lucas. As you should very well know, you are not allowed to use magic in the hallways. And if you continue to disrupt the school, it will be detention."

Graham was still chuckling behind his hand, and August was doubled over, clutching his side. None of them seemed to care that Ruby had cost their House 20 points.

"Here you go," she smiled hesitantly, holding out Belle's book to her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Belle hissed. "I don't need your help. I was doing just fine."

Ruby's excited eyes suddenly fell, and she quickly rebutted, "Yeah I could see you were enjoying your game of monkey in the middle."

Belle glared at her, grabbing her book back and putting it into her bag.

"You know you could be a little more grateful!" Ruby shouted. "I don't know why you're so uptight all the time."

"And I don't know why you act like such an irresponsible ignoramus all the time!" Belle yelled back. Graham and August glanced at each other nervously. "You always get Gryffindor into trouble, and I'm sick of it!"

Ruby was looking at her as though she must not have heard correctly. "I was trying _to help you_!"

"Well, I don't need your help! And I don't want your help! I want you to just leave me alone!"

"Quiet!" Snape yelled suddenly, calling the two red-faced girls from their argument. "What did I say not one minute ago? Miss French, Miss Lucas, stay after class to arrange your detentions."

Belle and Ruby glared at each other one last time before filing into the classroom behind the others.

* * *

Class ended.

Belle and Ruby sat several seats away from one another. Ruby tapped her wand against her desk as Belle glanced at her from the corner of her eye.

"Can you please stop with that infernal tapping?" Belle requested, harshly.

Ruby narrowed her eyes and turned to her. "What is with you?" she inquired. "Are you always this angry or is this just something special reserved for me?"

Belle shut her book hard as she turned in her seat. "I tend to not have a soft spot for people who get me detention." Belle snapped back.

"For the last time, I was helping you!"

"And I didn't need it!"

"SILENCE!" Snape shouted, reentering the room. He crossed his arms against his chest. "Are you both seriously so pig headed that you can't follow one simple instruction?" He looked from one to the other. "Ten points from Gryffindor for your complete lack of decorum."

Belle grunted angrily. Ruby huffed a small laugh as her eyes shifted to the desk. It was just amusing her now. How easily she could get under Belle's skin. She never had this effect on anyone before. She kind of liked it.

Snape walked to Ruby, tossing a piece of paper on her desk. "I trust I shouldn't have to tell you where and when to report?"

Ruby glanced up at him as she slid the paper off of the desk. "Nope. I got it." She held the paper up and placed it in her pocket.

He walked to Belle, sliding one onto her desk as well. "If you get lost, Miss French, I'm sure Miss. Lucas will be more than willing to give you directions."

Belle slowly took the paper from the desk and put it inside her book. "I'll find it, sir." she muttered, her eyes remaining on the cover of her book. "I need no help from her. She's done enough already."

Ruby huffed again, shaking her head as she rolled her eyes. "Can we go now? I have to get to practice."

Snape narrowed his eyes at her. "You are dismissed."

Ruby grabbed her book and exited the room quickly. Belle took her book as well, rising from her seat. She looked at Professor Snape. He shook his head disappointed as he waved her away. Belle lowered her head and exited the room. As far as she was concerned, Ruby Lucas was nothing but a world of trouble and she wanted nothing to do with it….


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby rushed across the Quidditch field, adjusting her uniform with every stride. If they wouldn't have a coronary, she would just hop on her broom and arrive at her destination in no time. But, no, she wasn't allowed to do that. That would mean more points from Gryffindor which she would surely hear about during detention if word got out.

She scoffed. Belle French in detention. Who would have ever thought it? Knowing her, she'd probably show up early too.

August turned in search of her. When he saw her running, stumbling over her own feet at one point, he chuckled and nudged Graham with his elbow. "Here she comes." he said, shaking his head.

"You're late, Lucas!" Graham shouted, grinning from ear to ear.

She finally reached him, slightly out of breath, but with enough energy to shoot him a dirty look. "No kidding." she responded. She dropped her broom, bending forward as she rested her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

Graham looked down, patting her back. "What happened with Snape and the book worm?"

Ruby rolled her eyes and straightened. "Detention. After practice." Her words were broken apart as her breathing finally slowed. "Next time, remind me not to be so nice to her."

August released a small bark of a laugh. Graham elbowed him in the ribs, flashing him a scolding look. Ruby looked from one to the other. She raised an eyebrow. Graham cleared his throat quickly and August took a step away.

"Would someone like to let me in on the joke?" Ruby's hazel eyes shifted from one boy to the next.

Graham looked like he was struggling hard to keep something in, and then, it slipped out of his mouth with a smile. "You like her."

"Graham!" August elbowed him as Ruby stared at them cluelessly.

"Who?"

"Belle, you idiot. You totally love her," Graham teased.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ruby asked, laughing a little herself at how silly the idea was. Or maybe she was just laughing to stop herself from really thinking about it.

"Oh come on," August spoke up. "What was that little show before? You messing up her hair and standing up for her?"

"That was just – that was – oh come on!" Graham and August started to laugh again. "You two are so ridiculous," Ruby rolled her eyes and mounted her broom. "Come on. We have to practice.

* * *

"Nice grab, Ruby!" Sean yelled approvingly as he watched her zoom around the pitch, catching the Snitch expertly each time. "I think that's enough. Great practice, everyone!"

Graham, August, Ruby, Sean, Emma, David and Mulan landed firmly on the ground, swinging their broomsticks over their shoulders as they headed to the locker room.

Regina Mills was sitting alone on the bleachers, eating an apple calmly. She looked so elegant and yet, unamused, as though there was something else she would rather be doing, something more deserving of her time. But then again, she always looked like that.

"What are you doing here, Regina?" David shouted. "No Slytherins allowed."

"Actually, Charming," David cringed when she used Mary Margaret's nickname for him, "I'm allowed to be wherever I want as long as I'm on school grounds."

"Who says you're not spying on us?" Sean asked.

Regina laughed. "Oh please. I have enough petty items to attend to without spying on your pathetic little team."

"Well then, clear out and attend to them," Ruby spat back. Her teammates nodded in agreement. Emma was scratching her neck awkwardly, avoiding any and all eye contact with Regina, who had started her descent to the ground.

"So … do you have any plans for tonight?" Mulan asked, her beater's bat hanging by her side as they resumed their walk.

"Yeah, I have detention with Snape. Woo-hoo," Ruby grumbled sarcastically.

"What did you do this time?"

"I didn't do anything. I was just trying to help Belle, and I got a bit carried away. … I may have used magic." Mulan raised her eyebrows and Ruby rushed to her defense. "But this detention is Belle's fault. She was the one who started yelling at me."

They had finally reached the locker room, hurriedly removing their filthy robes and setting them in the laundry basket for the house-elves to wash.

"Why was she yelling at you?"

"Because I lost Gryffindor point. … But so what? Everyone else does it, but Belle doesn't hate anybody like she hates me," Ruby sighed with a mix of sadness and frustration.

"I don't think Belle hates anyone, Ruby." She hesitated before adding, "Some people just don't know how to express what they're really feeling."

Ruby froze, her shirt halfway over her arms. She was about to ask what Mulan was implying when Emma suddenly walked into the changing room.

"Where have you been?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, what took you so long?"

"Calm down," Emma laughed nervously. "I was just putting the balls away."

"Oh … right," Ruby finished pulling on her shirt. "Well, I've got to go. I wouldn't want to be late and get the lecture from Belle."

Mulan shook her head, and Emma grinned. "Ruby," Mulan warned, "be nice."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ruby smirked. "You know, maybe I will be a few minutes late. I do love hearing her patronize me. … Oh, and Emma, you got a little lipstick on your face."

"I – I do?" she stuttered, wiping at her face hurriedly.

"There. You got it. I'll see you girls later," Ruby said good-bye with a wink and headed back to the castle to face her detention and the annoyances that were sure to come with it.

* * *

Belle sat in the detention room, her hands folded on the large table in front of her. She glanced up at the clock; it was already five minutes past the starting time. Professor Snape was sitting at his desk, dipping a quill in black ink and scribbling down notes. Belle wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to be doing. She had never had detention before. All she knew was, as usual, Ruby was late.

The door swung open, slamming against the wall behind it. Belle jumped as Ruby came sauntering inside. "Miss. Lucas," Snape said, dryly. "Thank you for finally joining us."

"You're welcome," she responded, a huge grin on her face as Belle shot her a scolding look. When she saw the reaction she received, her grin spread further.

He pointed the quill toward the stadium style seats. "Take a seat."

Belle gripped her desk, silently praying that Ruby would choose the area furthest from her. Ruby watched her for a moment, a grin crossing her lips. She walked over and sat right next to her. Belle took in a deep breath, catching the smell of Ruby's perfume. She closed her eyes, shaking her head lightly as she inched away from her. Ruby noticed the movement and scooted closer.

Belle exhaled heavily. "Do you mind?" she whispered, harshly as she scooted to the side again.

Just as Ruby went to respond, the door to the room opened again. Both girls turned to see Mary Margret enter the room. Her eyes caught Ruby's and she smiled, giving her friend a short wave. Ruby waved back as she approached Professor Snape.

"Miss. Blanchard, I trust there is a logical reason for you entering this room at this hour."

"Yes, sir. Professor McGonagall sent me." she explained. "She needs to speak with you for a moment."

Snape sighed, exasperated. He looked at the girls. "I trust you two can be left alone for a few moments without killing one another?"

Ruby held her hand up. "You can trust me," she said, pointing at Belle. "It's this one you might have to worry about."

Belle's jaw slacked. She stammered over a response before grunting angrily and opening her book. Professor Snape rolled his eyes and stood from his desk. He held his hand out, allowing Mary Margret to go first, then exited the room after her.

Once the door closed, Ruby turned to face Belle. "You were early, weren't you?"

Belle kept her eyes on her book. "And you were late." she snapped back, her eyebrows raising slightly. "What a surprise."

Ruby stared at the side of her face. Her head tilted as she watched the way Belle's blue eyes danced over the words on the page. She found herself entranced for a moment. She actually wanted to know what made this girl tick, besides the obvious books and expert spell casting. She reached out, pulling the book away from her.

Belle looked at her angrily. She slammed her hands down on the table. "Seriously?"

"Yup." Ruby closed the book and put it behind her. She looked at Belle again. "Let's talk."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"And why is that?"

Belle recoiled. Her eyes looking anywhere but at the girl who was staring so intently at her. "I just don't." She held her hand out. "May I have my book back, please?"

Ruby smirked and shook her head. "Not until you tell me why you hate me."

"I don't hate you. I just don't particularly like you very much." She pushed her hand closer to Ruby. "My book, please." This time her tone was more of an order than a request.

Ruby's head cocked further as she raised an eyebrow. "That still sounds like hate to me."

Belle sighed, heavily. "Listen, Ruby, I've had enough with all these games today. Between you and Gaston—"

"I know you're not comparing me to Gaston."

"No, I'm not.. I just…" She exhaled, running her hand through her hair. "Just...give me back my book."

Ruby grinned. "Come get it," she baited, crossing her arms against her chest.

Belle's jaw clenched. "Fine." She leaned in, attempting to reach around Ruby awkwardly.

Ruby grabbed her wrist to try and stop her. She must have tugged too hard because Belle came flying forward, knocking Ruby backwards. Before she knew it, she was laying on the bench with Belle on top of her. They stared wide eyed and wordless. They locked eyes and Ruby suddenly felt compelled to reach up and tuck a stray strand of hair behind Belle's ear. When Belle blushed at the contact, Ruby felt the small smile form on her own lips.

The door opened again and both girls scrambled to return to their upright position. Ruby pressed her lips together, looking down at the desk. Belle swallowed hard, her throat suddenly very dry, as she did the best to relax the blush on her cheeks. Snape walked in, his eyebrow raised curiously at the quietness that filled the room. He walked slowly passed them and returned to his desk.

There was silence. Neither girl looking or speaking. Until Belle finally opened her mouth and whispered, "May I please have my book back, Ruby?"


	3. Chapter 3

Belle didn't know how long she had been staring at the ceiling. The dormitory was quiet, filled with the sounds of slow, deep breathing. But the absence of a quiet snoring told her she was not the only one lying awake.

With a sigh of frustration, she rolled onto her side and pulled the blankets up to her chin, as if that could help. Why couldn't she stop thinking about it? Why did she keep replaying that moment in her mind? Maybe it was the way Ruby's fingers had brushed against her hair, the way they tickled the back of her ear when she had tucked Belle's brown, curly locks behind it. Maybe it was the tingles her soft, gentle fingers sent shooting down her spine or the goosebumps that riddled her arms even as she thought about it. Maybe it was how close they had been and the way Ruby's body felt against hers, the way her body contoured so perfectly that Belle fit up against it just right. Maybe it was the look in her eyes, her large beautiful bright hazel eyes, and the way they had filled with a tender glow that Belle had never seen before.

Belle felt the smile creep onto her face, and she wanted it to go away. She shouldn't be feeling this way about Ruby; it didn't even make sense. She tried to force her face into a frown, but her lips would not obey her. So she lay in bed, her face pressed against the pillow, smiling like a complete idiot, her eyes shut firmly in an attempt not to start looking at Ruby. Thinking about her was enough.

It was three in the morning when she finally fell into a fitful world of dreams. She was running from a wolf that would not stop chasing her, and no matter how fast she ran, it was always at her heels. But when it pounced and sent Belle tumbling to the ground, all it did was lick her face.

Belle woke up at six in a state of exhaustion, never remembering the dream at all.

* * *

Ruby laid on her stomach, her eyes focused on the clock beside her bed. She had been watching it for hours. Sleep had completely eluded her. Every time she closed her eyes, events from the day would flash like some weird movie. August and Graham's voices rang in her ear telling her she was in love with Belle. Mulan's cryptic comment about some people's inability to express how they feel. Then, there was detention. That part played the most.

She never realized how beautiful Belle's eyes were until she saw them up close. Her hair was so soft when she touched it. She could feel the warmth build on her face when she tucked her hair behind her ear. Belle was beautiful. Why had she never noticed just how much before?

"Ugh!" Ruby grunted as she rolled onto her back and ripped off the covers.

It was six in the morning. She didn't remember the last time she was up this early. Now that she really thought about it, she had never been up this early. She grabbed a towel and shuffled across the floor toward the bathroom. She glanced over and noticed Belle wasn't in her bed. She was probably in the common room, already studying and preparing for her day. Ruby shook her head with a small laugh at the thought as she continued on her way.

When she reached the girls bathroom, she yanked the door open. It seemed she and Belle weren't the only two up. Someone was in the shower. Ruby decided to make her way to the sink. She looked in the mirror at her reflection and groaned.

"Oh, today is going to be a shitty day…" she mumbled, leaning in close to inspect the dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep.

At that moment, the shower turned off. Ruby didn't turn to see who was coming out, but she was curious who would be so insane to be up at this hour. She looked in the mirror and caught the reflection of Belle stepping out of the shower, her towel wrapped around her body. She was completely unaware of Ruby's presence. Ruby caught herself staring at Belle as she took her hair down from the tie she had it in. When it looked as if Belle was about to drop her towel, Ruby blushed and cleared her throat loudly.

Belle jumped at the sound and gripped the top of her towel. "What are you doing in here?" she questioned, harshly.

Ruby made a face and turned to her. "Last time I checked, I was allowed to be in here." she responded, doing her best to keep her eyes locked on Belle's. It was pretty hard to not let them travel down to the towel she was now desperately clutching.

Belle narrowed her eyes and walked toward the sink next to Ruby. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be up at this hour." She flashed Ruby a sideways glance. "Especially you." She turned on the sink, putting toothpaste on her brush.

Ruby leaned against the sink, facing her. "Sometimes I'm just full of surprises." She grinned as Belle began brushing her teeth.

Belle rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt that." she muttered through her task.

Ruby crossed her arms against her chest, taking a step toward her. "When someone doubts me…" She leaned in close, her lips just inches from Belle's ear. "That's usually when I do my best work."

Belle felt the shiver run down her neck and back. It was the same feeling she had when she begged for sleep and was rebuffed by thoughts of Ruby. She raised her hand, wiping her ear in attempt to seem irritated that the other girl was close. Ruby simply chuckled at her action and walked away to get in the shower.

* * *

By the time class actually started, Ruby thought she was dead. Her eyes kept unfocusing themselves, and Professor Flitwick was becoming a tiny little blur in the front of the room. She set her arms on top of her books and buried her head in them, not even caring if she got in trouble.

Across the classroom, Belle had her head propped up on her fist, her elbow digging into her Charms notebook. She looked hung-over, her mouth slightly gaping and her eyes fluttering open and closed as she struggled to focus on the lesson.

A sudden image of Belle wrapped in a towel flashed into her mind, but she shook it out of herself and stopped watching the other girl, putting her head back into her folded arms and falling asleep immediately.

"_Just...give me back my book."_

_Ruby grinned. "Come get it," she baited, crossing her arms against her chest._

_Belle's jaw clenched. "Fine." She leaned in, attempting to reach around Ruby awkwardly._

_Ruby grabbed her wrist to try and stop her. She must have tugged too hard because Belle came flying forward, knocking Ruby backwards. Before she knew it, she was laying on the bench with Belle on top of her. They stared wide eyed and wordless. They locked eyes and Ruby suddenly felt compelled to reach up and tuck a stray strand of hair behind Belle's ear. When Belle blushed at the contact, Ruby felt the small smile form on her own lips._

_Ruby felt herself move forward. She wanted to kiss Belle so badly. They were so close. She could do it right now. Ruby felt their lips brush gently together, the touch lighter than air. Her eyes closed, trying to take in the feeling as Belle bit down on her bottom lip. _

"_Ruby," a voice echoed through her mind._

"_Ruby, wake up."_

"_Ruby!"_

"_What?" she heard herself say. _

"Miss Lucas!" Her head shot up like a rocket as she saw Professor Flitwick standing expectantly in front of her, his tone condescending and disappointed.

"Yeah, Professor?" she stifled a yawn, trying to pretend it hadn't happened, but the clock on the wall told her she had slept almost the entire class period.

"Your class project – I was just going to assign you a partner, but clearly you already know what you're doing."

"But – I – uh – I don't – "

"It's okay, professor," Belle spoke up. "She can work with me."

Graham, who had been sitting next to Ruby the entire time and trying not to laugh, cast her a glance and raised his eyebrows.

"Very well, Miss Lucas. You should consider yourself lucky that Miss French is so gracious. And I don't want to hear that she did all the work. Do you understand?"

Ruby nodded, and Flitwick gave an approving, "good," his tone once again cheerful as he assigned partners to the rest of the class.

As soon as he was out of sight, Ruby smacked Graham on the arm. Then she turned to Belle and mouthed, 'What are you doing? Don't you hate me?'

Belle rolled her eyes and shrugged. 'I don't know.'

'Well, make up your mind,' Ruby laughed and grinned widely, pleased with herself when Belle laughed too.

From somewhere far away, the bell rang, and the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws filed out of the classroom.

"Can you believe I got partnered with Aurora?" Mulan whined, but Ruby barely heard her. She was too busy watching Belle, who was walking beside Archie Hopper, exchanging notes, too busy thinking about the feel of Belle's lips on hers.

* * *

The common room was empty and quiet. Just like Belle liked it. She settled down on the floor in front of a large table, adjacent to the fireplace. Her back rested against the couch as she watched the flames flicker.

She was still exhausted from her lack of sleep. Maybe that's why she was so eager to offer to be Ruby's partner on this project. Her sleep deprivation had made her delusional. At least that's what she was trying to convince herself anyway.

She opened her eyes wide in attempt to fight exhaustion. She shifted into a more comfortable position, opened her charms book, and started to read. Not a second into her reading, she felt the couch behind her shift as if someone had jumped onto it from behind. She looked back to see Ruby sitting there, grinning down at her.

Belle rolled her eyes, pretending to be annoyed by her sudden appearance and turned her attention back time her book. Truth be told, she was happy to see her… for the sake of starting their project, of course. Once again, trying to convince herself of that statement more than anything.

"Not hanging out with the other troublemakers tonight?" she inquired as Ruby chuckled lightly.

"Nah." She stared down at Belle, resisting the urge to stroke her hair. She cleared her throat. "I thought, you know, since you had my back in class today, I'd come back early so we could start this project. …" She paused, still completely confused on what they were supposed to be doing. "Whatever it is …"

Belle smiled. She suddenly found Ruby's cluelessness endearing. "We are supposed to create a charm."

Her eyes remained on the pages as she flipped through them. An overpowering scent was suddenly right over her. It smelled like fresh ocean air. She slightly turned her head to the left to see Ruby's face next to hers. Her eyes focused on the pages as well. Belle breathed in again, realizing the smell was Ruby's shampoo. She did her best to hide her nervousness at how close she was.

"So, what are you reading then?" Ruby turned her head, suddenly realizing how close she was. She swallowed hard before moving back. "I, uh, I mean if we are supposed to create our own…"

Belle snapped out of her mesmerized state. "Oh, I'm… I'm seeing what has been done so we can't decide on something new…" She clasped her hands together to stop from fidgeting with them nervously.

A sheepish expression over took Ruby's features. "I could help," she offered as Belle looked up at her surprised. She laughed at Belle's expression. "I told you I'm full of surprises." She patted the cushion next to her. "Come up here. We can look together."

"O-okay…"

Belle pushed herself from the floor to the couch. She leaned forward to grab the book, completely unaware that Ruby's eyes were on her the whole time. She rested her back against the cushion. She felt her heart skip when Ruby scooted closer. She smiled shyly at the darker haired girl before opening the book once again.

* * *

"I'm telling you, Graham!" August stated, pounding his hand into his fist as they entered the common room. "Something is going on with Emma and Regina…"

Graham shook his head and laughed. "You're cra—" He stopped in mid-sentence, his jaw gaping at the sight in front of him.

August looked confused. "What's up?"

Graham put his finger to his lips requesting silence. He pointed to the couch. August's confusion didn't fade as his eyes shifted to where Graham was pointing. His eyes widened, and he put his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.

Ruby was lying on the couch, completely passed out. The most intriguing part was the fact that Belle was half-lying on top of her. Her face buried in the crook of Ruby's neck and her hand resting over the seeker's heart. Ruby's arms were wrapped tightly around Belle and Graham could have sworn she was smiling in her sleep.

Graham waved August forward, still requesting silence. He glanced back at them one final time, huffing a small laugh and shaking his head….


	4. Chapter 4

It was the middle of the night. Everyone was already tucked into bed, sound asleep, resting their minds for the next day's classes. Belle stirred. Her bed was comfortable, but not as comfortable as it normally was. She felt as if she was sleeping on a soft pile of covers. She shifted trying to get more comfortable and that's when she felt it.

Her eyes opened quickly. She was staring at the side of Ruby's face. The other girl was sound asleep, unaware of anything. Her eyes trailed down, their legs interlocked together, Ruby's arm around her waist. She pushed herself up, the shock covering her face quickly. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed, low enough to not wake the entire house, but loud enough to wake Ruby.

Ruby breathed in deep as she went to stretch, but noticed her arm was locked around something. She opened her eyes and saw Belle staring down at her, eyes wide. "Belle?" she questioned, sleepily. "What's the matt—" She noticed Belle was practically lying on top of her, her arm wrapped tightly around the other girls waist. She released her and scrambled to get away, but ran out of couch and ended up on the floor.

Belle rushed to the edge. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

Ruby held her hand up, but felt the pain shooting through her back. "I'm fine." she muttered, sitting up. "Why were you sleeping on me?"

"Why were you sleeping under me?"

Ruby made a face. "What the hell kind of question is that?" She took in a deep breath trying to keep controlled. She thought for a moment then returned her attention to Belle. "We must have fallen asleep working on the project. It's no big deal."

Ruby lowered her head, bringing her knees to her chest. Belle rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling. Ruby had never slept so soundly. She felt secure and happy with her arms wrapped around Belle. Belle was comforted by the steady beat of Ruby's heart under her hand. It was a big deal, but neither of them planned on being the first to admit it.

Belle pushed herself from the couch and stood. "I'm going to bed." she stated as she stepped over Ruby and walked toward the room.

Ruby watched her leave. Once Belle was gone, she sighed heavily and pressed her head into her knees. "Shit..."

* * *

Ruby walked into the Great Hall nervously. For some reason, she felt like every eye was staring at her and silently judging her, as if they had all found out about what she and Belle had done last night. But that was impossible. They were the only two who knew about that. Still, everything felt different. Even the air she breathed was stifled by the memory.

She took a labored breath and walked forwards, sitting beside Mary Margaret, who was locked in a passionate kiss with David. Ruby really wanted to talk to her. She had no one else to go to, and the confusion was eating her up inside. It was only because of this that she cleared her throat awkwardly and said, "Morning guys."

David let out a soft, disappointed moan before replying in a falsely cheerful voice, "Good morning, Ruby."

Mary Margaret, who, like her boyfriend, appeared slightly upset at the abrupt breaking up of their kiss, was not faking her happiness. "Hey," she smiled, immediately giving her friend a hug. "Are you okay? You look a bit … off."

"Yeah, I need to talk to you. Do you mind stepping outside with me for a minute or – "

"It's okay, Ruby, I can leave. I have a Transfiguration exam to study for."

"Shit, is that today?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah," Mary Margaret chuckled quietly as David left, but not before pressing a light kiss to Mary Margaret's forehead. Ruby was suddenly filled with a longing to be kissed like that – like she was the most important person in the world. And, once again, her mind flew to Belle.

"So what's bothering you?"

Ruby didn't even know where to start, but she took a deep breath, reminding herself that this was Mary Margaret. She could tell her anything. "Okay, you know Belle right?"

"Yes, I'm familiar with her," Mary Margaret grinned, taking a bite of her toast.

"Well, lately, I don't know, I've been getting these … vibes … from her. She never used to talk to me, but now, she acts like we're friends. And then sometimes, she acts like I'm the last person on this earth she'd ever want to see. … And I don't know, I kind of feel weird around her. She makes me laugh a lot, but she also makes me really nervous and confused. … But I kind of like it." Mary Margaret was giving Ruby all of her attention now, her eyebrows raised in thought. "And last night, when we were working on Flitwick's project together … we kind of … fell asleep … on top of each other."

"On top of each other how?" she asked suspiciously.

"I think I had my arm around her waist. That was all I can remember."

"Ruby … have you ever kissed a girl?"

Ruby laughed anxiously. "No," she stuttered. "Is that important?"

"Have you ever had feelings about a girl before?"

"Not that I can think of…"

"Have you ever thought about the fact that you could like girls?"

"I don't know. … Mary Margaret, what does this have to do with anything?"

She hesitated. "Well, based on what you've told me, it kind of sounds like you have a crush on Belle. … And it kind of sounds like Belle has a crush on you."

"But that – how – how do you know?"

Mary Margaret opened her mouth, but she never got the chance to answer. Graham and August dropped down across from the two girls with broad smiles on their faces. "Morning ladies," Graham winked. Ruby had never felt more of an urge to punch him in the face.

"Good morning, Graham." Mary Margret greeted, turning her eyes on August. "August."

"Good morning." August responded, a wide grin playing on his lips.

Ruby looked from each boy suspiciously. "Why are you both grinning at me like that?"

Graham frowned slightly, opening his hands as he spoke. "No reason." he responded as his eyes shifted upwards just as someone was passing by. "Good morning, Belle!"

Ruby's eyes widened as she turned slowly to see Belle, stopping in her tracks to look at Graham strangely. Her blue eyes shifted to meet Ruby's for a brief moment before she quickly diverted her attention back to Graham. "Graham, good morning..." she responded, unsure of why he was even speaking to her.

He motioned his hand toward the empty spot next to Ruby. "Why don't you join us … OW!" He shot Ruby a look for kicking him under the table.

Ruby returned his stare. Her teeth were clenched and her eyes wide as she mouthed for him to shut up.

Belle looked around the table. She suddenly felt uncomfortable, like she was being talked about before she even passed them. It was as if the entire table knew what happened last night. "Um, no, thank you. I have to get to the library." With that, she was gone.

Ruby slammed her hands on the table. "What are you doing?!"

Graham laughed as he rubbed his leg. "I was just inviting your girlfriend to join us for breakfast." he explained, with a smirk. "It's only polite that your best friends get to know her."

"Graham..." Mary Margret warned.

He looked at her. "What? You didn't see them last night." He turned his attention to Ruby again. "All cuddled up on the couch like this." He grabbed August and squeezed him tightly, ruffling the other boy's hair.

August laughed and pushed him away. "Knock it off, man!"

Ruby exhaled angrily. "You suck." she growled as she grabbed her things and quickly stood from the table.

"Ruby, wait!" Mary Margret requested, but Ruby was already stomping away. She turned to the boys. "Nice job, jackasses." She shook her head, standing, and walking quickly after her friend.

Graham held his arms out, the grin still playing on his lips. "What did we do?" he shouted, watching as they both exited the great hall.

August shook his head and laughed. "She's going to kill you."

Graham shrugged, reaching across to take what was left of Mary Margret's food from her plate. "Wouldn't be the first time she's tried." he stated, with a laugh as he ate what was left on her plate.

* * *

"Ruby!" She heard Mary Margaret calling after her but did not turn around, practically sprinting through the halls, ignoring the frustrated and outraged yells. "Ruby, wait!"

A hand clasped around her wrist and spun her around gently. But instead of coming face-to-face with Mary Margaret, she found herself standing cluelessly in front of Belle, whose hand slid down into hers gently. "Ruby, are you all right?" she asked with a kind smile.

"I – uh – I'm fine," she stuttered and her lips perked up in a slight smirk. She looked over Belle's head and saw her friend pretending to look out the window. She would have to thank her later.

"You look very upset. Is everything all right?" Ruby was surprised to hear the level of concern in her voice.

Her anger seemed to evaporate into thin air, and she smiled a real smile this time and said, "Everything's fine. … Do you want to go work on our project?"

"Ruby … it's breakfast time." Belle stared expectantly at her, as though waiting for her to gasp and run to the Great Hall.

"I know," Ruby chuckled.

"And this is homework…"

"I know," she laughed harder.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I feel great."

Belle finally seemed to be convinced and the two walked to the library together, their hands dangling by their sides, their fingertips centimeters away, brushing against each other far too many times to be considered accidental.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few weeks passed quickly, and in almost no time at all, snow started to fall from the sky, covering the grounds in a thick white blanket. Christmas vacation was quickly approaching. Even Belle was excited to have a break from studying. But she was also looking forward to spending the short weeks at Hogwarts … with Ruby.

When Professor McGonagall had come around with the sign-up sheet, Ruby had signed her name right away; Belle followed her example eagerly. The only other Gryffindor remaining at the castle was Emma, which meant it would be a very quiet Christmas. Just as Belle liked it.

Ever since they had earned an A on their Charms project, Belle and Ruby had been inseparable. Even now, as Ruby talked back to Professor Snape and cost Gryffindor twenty points, Belle found herself laughing and giving the dark-haired girl a high-five under the table.

"Oh my God, Ruby! Did you see Snape's face?" Graham laughed, running up to his friend and slapping her on the back as they walked to Care of Magical Creatures.

Ruby gave a self-satisfied smile. "I thought he was going to give me detention," she chuckled.

"Well, it's a good thing he didn't. Any more detentions and McGonagall's going to pull you from the team," Mary Margaret said.

"No, she won't," replied David. "She cares about the Quidditch Cup too much." He slipped his hand into his girlfriend's and gave her a knowing grin.

"So be sure to take advantage of this, Ruby," August said mischievously.

"I look forward to it," she raised her eyebrows. "Maybe I can think of a way to get Regina and Bobby in trouble too."

"Bobby Gold?" Belle asked. "Oh, Ruby, you don't want to mess with him. He'll just get back at you. Besides, he's a sixth year."

"And what's so bad about Regina?" Emma spoke up. Belle had almost forgotten she was there. She was so quiet lately.

"What isn't bad about her?" Ruby rebutted to several grunts of approval.

"In first year, she locked me in the Astronomy Tower, and I wouldn't have been able to get out if Jefferson hadn't found me," said Belle.

"That was three years ago, Belle."

"Okay, last year, she stole Maleficent's Remembrall. Remember that?" August asked.

"Who cares about Maleficent?"

"She got Sydney kicked out of his internship for the Daily Prophet."

"She made Katherine transfer to Beauxbatons."

"She tried to trick me into eating a poisoned apple – "

" – Food poisoned! It's not like you would have died – "

"She killed her father!" Mary Margaret shouted desperately.

"That was an _accident_!" Emma yelled through gritted teeth. "This is just because she's a Slytherin, isn't it?! Because all Slytherins are evil! As if all of you are somehow better than her just because you're in Gryffindor! Need I remind you, that all Regina did was tell Katherine the truth after _you _kissed David while she was still going out with him!" She pointed a finger at Mary Margaret.

"Emma, nobody said – "

"Oh, shut up, Ruby!" Belle narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Yeah, she's made some mistakes, but she's trying to change! It's stupid, ignorant people like you who keep telling her she can't! Regina is _not_ a bad person! That's just the only part of her you're willing to see!" And with that, Emma stomped away from the scene, leaving her friends behind in shock.

"Where did that come from?" David asked.

"I don't know…" Mary Margaret whispered, her voice laced with worry and guilt.

* * *

"I'll miss you," Ruby smiled as she gave Graham a big hug. She turned towards Mulan, but the girl shook her head.

"I don't hug." Ruby rolled her eyes and shook Mulan's hand instead.

And then, just like that, everyone was gone. The common room was empty. Emma, of course, was nowhere to be found. She hadn't been in Gryffindor Tower much since her outburst, but that was perfectly fine with Ruby because Christmas break had finally started, and they were finally alone.

Ruby sat on the couch in the common room with Belle. The only light filling the room was coming from the fireplace. She watched as Belle read a book casually. She smiled when Belle tucked her hair behind her ear allowing her to see more of her face.

Belle's brow furrowed and she turned her head slightly to look at Ruby. She smiled. "What?"

Ruby shook her head quickly, realizing she was staring to hard and too long. When Belle returned her attention to the book, Ruby found herself desperately searching for a way to get her attention again. She fidgeted with a maroon pillow, clearing her throat before she spoke. "So, uh, it's just me and you now…." she mumbled, twisting the tassel on the pillow. "It's like we have our own place…"

Ruby balked. _What was that?!_ She scolded herself internally.

Belle released a soft laugh as she turned the page in her book. "One could say that." She glanced at Ruby with a shy smile. "I kind of like it." Her eyes widened at her own words, and she stammered over her next sentence. "I – I mean … it'll ... be nice to not have any interruptions…" She paused again, inwardly scolding herself. She decided it would be best to stop talking.

Ruby smiled broadly at Belle's nervousness. She moved the pillow from her lap and inched closer. "What are you reading?" She was so close to Belle, she could hear the shift in her breathing when she gently touched her hand to see the pages. "The Mysterious Island? Don't you believe in light reading?"

Belle laughed. "Sometimes." She turned her head, jumping slightly at how close Ruby was. Her heart rate had increased rapidly and she wasn't sure how to slow it down. "I – I just really love Jules Verne."

Ruby stared into her eyes. "Will you read it to me?"

Belle looked surprised. "You want me to read to you?"

Ruby nodded slowly. She had no idea what was controlling her next action. She moved Belle's arm, causing her to raise the book from her lap. Belle's watched curiously as Ruby lay on her back, her head in Belle's lap, staring up at her expectantly.

"I'm waiting," Ruby stated with a smirk.

Belle couldn't help but smile. "Okay, fine…" she agreed as she turned to the first page and began to read.

Ruby listened to the soothing sound of Belle's voice for what seemed like forever. Truth be told, only a few hours had passed. As Belle read to her, she absentmindedly ran her fingers through Ruby's hair. Ruby smiled up at her, enjoying the feeling. When she was done, she lowered the book and smiled down at her. Suddenly, very aware of what her hand was doing, she slowly untangled it from the darker-haired girl's locks and held it against her stomach.

"Did you like it?" Belle asked, cutting into Ruby's daze.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, I did," she responded.

"What was your favorite part?"

"When you were playing with my hair..." The words tumbled from Ruby's lips faster than she had expected. She felt the blush cover her cheeks. "I – uh…" She diverted her eyes, looking everywhere but at Belle.

Belle felt the heat on her cheeks from Ruby's response. She laughed lightly, tucking her hair behind her ear again. "We should probably go grab some dinner," she suggested, trying to calm the awkwardness that had settled into the room. "It's getting late. They'll stop serving soon."

Ruby sat up. She wiped her hands on her pants, noticing how sweaty her palms had become within seconds. "Sure." She stood, extending her hand to Belle. "Come on." She wiggled her fingers, a small smirk on her lips.

Belle looked at her hand for a moment. Then her eyes made their way up to meet Ruby's. Her shy smile spread as she slowly slipped her hand into Ruby's. She pulled Belle gently from the couch and they started walking toward the door. Ruby could feel her hand starting to become moist again and, as she went to release Belle's, the smaller girl gripped hers tightly. Ruby glanced at her and Belle leaned into her as they walked out of the common room and toward the Great Hall hand-in-hand.


	6. Chapter 6

Belle awoke early and hopped out of bed excitedly. She quickly crossed the floor of their dorm room over to Ruby's bed. Ruby was still fast asleep, hiding under her pile of covers for warmth. Without warning, Belle jumped on the bed and began to bounce up and down roughly.

"Merry Christmas, Ruby!" she shouted, starting to shake her. "Wake up!"

Ruby groaned as her body was being shaken and bounced on. She thought of several ways to kill Belle for this, but then she reminded herself that she was too cute to destroy. "Belle, come on…" she muttered, pulling the covers tighter over her head. "Five more minutes."

"Fine." Belle pouted as she sat back. "I guess you'll just have to wait for the gift I bought you." She jumped off the bed and began shuffling across the floor toward the common room.

Ruby pulled the covers off quickly. "Gift? What gift?"

Belle stopped in mid-step, a grin playing on her lips as she turned back and looked at Ruby. She stifled a laugh at the sight in front of her. Ruby's hair was a mess, her eyes half shut from sleep. Regardless, she was still adorable. "Oh, now you're awake."

"I heard gift." She smirked as she ran her hands through her hair and stood from the bed. She shuffled toward Belle, crossing her arms against her chest to keep in what little warmth she still had.

"So, hanging out with me on Christmas isn't incentive enough?" Belle teased, pouting playfully.

Ruby stopped in front of her. "Of course it is." She touched her chin causing Belle's pout to turn into a smile. "Don't worry. I got you something too." She smiled sleepily at her as she shuffled passed her toward the common room.

Belle pressed her teeth into her bottom lip to stop her smile from spreading any further and followed Ruby into the room.

Ruby got to the tree first, diving underneath and pulling out a lumpy package wrapped in Snitch wrapping paper, and she then jumped onto the couch cushions with the energy of an excited puppy. Belle joined her a moment later, clutching a very small, neatly wrapped box in her hands. She snuggled in between the arm of the couch and Ruby's side, sticking very close to the latter. Ruby wrapped her arm around Belle's waist and pulled her even closer.

"You go first," she grinned, shoving the package into Belle's arms.

"Okay," she smiled eagerly, tearing at the paper. As soon as the remnants were cleared away, Belle pulled out a red and gold jacket. She held it in front of her curiously. "You got me a letterman's jacket?" she laughed.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Turn it over." Belle did. The back of the jacket featured a large lion. Just above it, written in red letters, was the word 'Lucas'. The sleeves both showed the number seven. "I thought it would look good on you, and I thought it might get you to a match," she shrugged.

Belle smiled and held it close to her chest. "It's so warm," her eyes shut tightly. "I love it."

"Really?"

"Really," she laid her head on Ruby's shoulder, and Ruby had to fight harder than anything not to brush her lips against the top of Belle's head.

"So does this mean you'll come to a game?"

"Of course I will. I'll be your number one fan. … But can I ask you something?"

"Anything," Ruby nodded.

"Why is your last name on the back?" she let out a soft, beautiful laugh.

"Well I couldn't have you cheering for anyone else, could I?" teased Ruby, and Belle looked up at her.

"What makes you think I want to cheer for anyone else?" Belle replied. They gazed deep into each other's eyes for a moment before Belle cleared her throat, her cheeks red, and handed Ruby her present.

Ruby, for the first time in her life, didn't want to open a gift. She would have been content getting lost in Belle's soft, blue eyes. But she took the present gratefully and opened it quickly, trying to hide her look of confusion.

It was a small jewelry box, and Ruby opened it eagerly. "It's not much…" Belle mumbled.

Ruby pulled out a gold bracelet, her mouth open wide. "Not much…? Belle … it's perfect."

She started examining the charms that dangled from it – a Snitch, a Gryffindor lion, an 'R', a 'B'. "I didn't want you to forget about me," Belle added, a shy smirk playing on her lips. A heart and … "What's with the lemur?" Ruby asked.

"It's – uh – well," she stuttered nervously, scratching the back of her neck. Belle looked determinedly at her lap while she spoke. "When I was five, my mother gave me this bracelet, and one day, she went out to get me that charm for my birthday. … I guess she liked monkeys or something." She smiled for a minute. "But – uh – she never – she never came home."

Ruby suddenly felt very unworthy to even be touching the bracelet, let alone holding it in her hand.

"The Muggle policemen found the charm in a box in her car." Belle could hear her voice becoming constricted and cursed herself. "I used to just hold it and think about her. I would stare out of the window and just wonder about things. And I kind of decided that when I found someone that I thought was as special as my mum, I would … I would give it to them."

Ruby could not breathe. She just held Belle closer and didn't hesitate in kissing the top of her head this time. She knew she didn't deserve this; she wasn't even remotely close to deserving it. But how could she refuse it? How could she ever cast aside a gift that clearly meant so much to Belle?

"Belle…" she whispered, gently lifting the girl's chin to meet her gaze again. Ruby wasn't surprised to find the tear that was trickling slowly down Belle's cheek, and she wiped it away lightly with her thumb and smiled. Thankfully, Belle smiled back, hurriedly wiping under her eyes.

"I'm sorry … I'm such an idiot," she laughed shakily.

"No, you're not," Ruby reassured her. "I'm – I'm honored, and I will guard it with my life," she promised.

Belle looked up at her again, her eyes resting just above Ruby's head. Ruby's eyes travelled upwards to see what she was staring at.

Both girls glanced down slowly. "Mistletoe…" Ruby mumbled.

Belle nodded, breaking their eye contact for a moment. She wanted Ruby to kiss her. She wanted to kiss Ruby. Everything inside of her was telling here to throw caution out the window and just allow this moment to happen. She raised her head noticing Ruby had inched closer. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly decided against it. She wasn't sure what she would say anyway.

Ruby stared into Belle's eyes, feeling the twist and turn of anticipation building in her stomach. She wanted to do this. She'd wanted to do this since the day they had detention. She didn't understand why it had taken so long for her to realize how she felt about Belle. She always acted like a little kid who picked on a girl because they liked her. She just wished it hadn't taken her so long to figure it out.

Ruby reached out, running her fingers through the side of Belle's hair. She inched even closer and smiled when she noticed Belle mimicked her action. She licked her lips, which had suddenly become very dry. She opened her mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a small exhale. Belle raised her hand, resting it on the side of Ruby's face. Her eyes focused on Belle as the girl inched closer. Ruby followed her, leaning in slowly. Their hearts beating so fast, almost in perfect sync. Ruby closed her eyes, her lips just inches from Belle's.

"Oh, shit.. sorry…" Emma apologized, causing them to quickly jump apart.

Both girls looked away shyly. Belle bit down on her bottom lip, feeling the blush rise from her neck to her face. Ruby shifted, leaning back against the couch as she placed her hands over her face. She rubbed her face roughly before exhaling heavily to try and slow her heart rate.

Emma ducked her head and started to walk passed them. "I'm just grabbing some stuff." she explained, not looking at either girl. "I'll be out of here in a minute. Merry Christmas."

Ruby watched her as she walked quickly into the other room. Once she was gone, she turned to Belle, a small shy smile on her lips. "Merry Christmas, Belle."

Belle did her best to hide her disappointment. She wanted to choke Emma for interrupting them. She inched closer, wrapping her arm around Ruby's midsection. "Merry Christmas, Ruby."

She pressed her lips against Ruby's cheek, lingering for a moment. Ruby's eyes closed instantly at the contact and she released a content sigh. Belle snuggled closer causing Ruby to adjust as she rested her head on Ruby's shoulder and the darker haired girl wrapped her arm around her. She gently stroked Belle's arm as they cuddled together in comfortable silence…


	7. Chapter 7

"Ha! Checkmate!" Ruby jumped up excitedly. "I finally beat you!"

Belle surveyed the chessboard silently. As a matter of fact, Ruby had not won. Belle could easily move her bishop and take her rook, but she decided not to say anything. After all, Ruby had been trying to beat her for a week now.

"Yeah, you did," Belle smiled, stifling a yawn.

"Are you tired? Or are you just pretending to be so I don't embarrass you like that again?" Ruby flashed her an adorable grin.

"Oh ha ha," she mumbled sarcastically. "If you want to play again, I will. I'm not afraid of you." Belle winked.

"Really?" Ruby raised her eyebrows playfully and stepped forward, pressing Belle up against the arm of the couch and gripping her forearms. "What if I turned into a big, scary dog? Would you be scared of me then?" Ruby grinned.

"What are you talking about?" Belle laughed, feeling the cold sweat build up on the back of her neck as Ruby pressed closer to her, filling her heart with longing. "Are you telling me you're a werewolf or is that supposed to be a joke? Because it definitely wasn't your be – "

And just like that, Ruby backed up a few feet, closed her eyes and turned into a big, black, furry _dog_.

Belle's jaw dropped, and she quickly rubbed her eyes, but Ruby was still there – on the floor, scratching her ear and wagging her tail. She jumped up and barked suddenly, startling Belle so badly that she topped backwards onto the couch.

"What the bloody hell …?" Belle mumbled as Ruby bounded over to the couch, panting and whining softly. She nudged Belle's hand with her nose and sat down loyally by her side, staring up expectantly.

Belle chuckled anxiously. "You know … you're much more civil this way," she teased.

Ruby cocked her head slightly and let out a small grunt of disagreement.

It was funny, really. How similar Ruby and this dog were. Their eyes were identical – the same gorgeous hazel – offsetting the black fur that was the same color as Ruby's hair. Just like its human counterpart, this dog was long and slender, but its strong muscles were visible when it moved. And it was looking at her the same way Ruby did – the way that melted Belle's heart and sent shivers down her spine.

Very slowly, a smile crept over Belle's face, and she slid onto the floor beside Ruby. "You could have given me a warning," she laughed, cautiously running her fingers through the thick black fur on Ruby's back and smiling even wider when Ruby laid her head in Belle's lap and breathed contentedly.

"The nice thing about this is I can say whatever I want, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Ruby looked up at her with wide, adventurous eyes as if to say 'I dare you'.

Belle beamed at her and whispered, "You know … I think Gaston is a much better Seeker than you."

Before she even knew what was happening, Belle found herself pinned underneath Ruby's paws.

"Okay, okay," she groaned. "I surrender. You win." The weight lifted slightly as hands replaced the large paws, and Ruby toppled forward, her hair tickling Belle's nose for a moment before they both sat up, laughing nervously and leaning against the couch.

"So … how long have you been an Animagus?"

"Just a couple weeks."

"It's actually quite impressive. Usually, witches and wizards become Animagi after years and years of practice."

"Well, I figured if Maleficent could do it, so could I," shrugged Ruby.

"Maleficent's an Animagus too?" Belle gaped.

"Yeah, she turns into a dragon. It was pretty funny actually. She tried to sabotage the Gryffindor Quidditch practice, but we took her down easily," Ruby chuckled with a lazy flick of her wand, causing a pillow that rested on the arm chair to explode.

"Oh, that reminds me … " Belle grinned mischievously, reaching above her and whacking Ruby in the face with a pillow.

"Ow!" she shouted as Belle giggled. "What was that for?!"

"_That_ was for scaring the crap out of me."

"Oh…" Ruby mumbled. "Told you I was scary."

* * *

The rest of Christmas break passed quickly. Ruby and Belle spent every minute of every day together until Professor Sinistra asked Belle to help her around the classroom.

It was the last day of break. Everyone would be coming back tomorrow, and Ruby was trying not to be too bitter. Mostly, she was just disappointed that she hadn't taken advantage of her alone time with Belle. Although, it wasn't like she hadn't tried. Things just kept getting in the way, like Emma or the bumbling Astronomy professor.

Ruby sighed and strolled down the dormitory stairs and through the portrait hole, determined to make tonight better than all the others.

Ruby walked the halls, peeking her head into every classroom she passed in search of Belle. She came upon an open door and quickly walked toward it. She looked inside and saw Belle, her back to the door, searching through a pile of papers on the professor's desk. She grinned mischievously and stepped inside.

Her plan was to quietly walk up behind Belle and surprise her, but when she noticed the curtains hanging over the entrance to the supply closet, she opted to hide inside there instead. She peeked out, watching as Belle studied the papers in front of her. She couldn't help but smile when Belle blew out an exasperated breath, causing her hair to move away from her eyes.

When Belle turned to walk in her direction, Ruby quickly moved back, allowing the curtain to conceal her presence. Her timing had to be perfect. She watched for Belle's shadow to appear under the curtain and that's when she pounced. She reached out, grabbing Belle's arm and yanking her behind the curtain.

Belle shrieked as she was yanked into the closet. Her first thought was to grab her wand, which was pointless because she had left it on her bed. Her reaction went from fear to slight anger when she saw Ruby standing in front of her, laughing hysterically.

"Damn it, Ruby!" she scolded, smacking her arm. She leaned back against the wall, placing her hand over her heart and taking in calming breaths. "You scared me!"

Ruby did her best to slow her laughter. She pouted playfully. "Aww, I'm sorry." she apologized, pulling Belle into a hug. She rubbed her back. "It was awesome though." She laughed again when Belle pulled back, flashing her a scolding look and smacking her arm again.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

Ruby shrugged. "I was bored." She hesitated briefly before confessing her real reason. "And, I … kinda missed you…"

Belle raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Kind of?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Okay, I really missed you." She stepped closer, holding Belle's gaze. "This whole winter break has been amazing and it's because of you." She reached out, gently touching Belle's cheek. "I just…" She paused, deciding she no longer wanted to speak.

She wanted to finish what they started on Christmas morning. She wanted to feel Belle's lips against hers. And all she could do was hope Belle wanted the same. Her gaze shifted from Belle's deep blue eyes to her lips. She leaned in slowly and, to her surprise, Belle closed the gap first, giving her a quick gentle kiss. Ruby released a small breath of surprise at the action and Belle blushed instantly, her face lingering inches from Ruby's, her fingers closing lightly around Ruby's wrist.

"I – I'm sorry, Ruby," she apologized. "I don't know why I did that. I mean, I do, but..."

Before she could finish, Ruby pulled her forward and kissed her, cutting her off mid-sentence. Belle let out a soft moan and closed her eyes. Ruby wrapped her arms around Belle's waist, holding her close as Belle's arms wrapped around her neck, her fingers tangling in Ruby's dark hair. They kissed slowly and deeply, allowing all their feelings to release in that one passionate moment.

"Miss French, are you in here?"

Belle reluctantly broke the kiss. "Damn it…" she whispered, smiling at the pout on Ruby's face at the loss of contact. She brushed her fingers gently across her cheek before placing her finger over her lips. "In here, Professor. I was just…" She thought for a moment. "Grabbing some parchment paper."

Ruby laughed at her excuse and Belle shifted her hand over her mouth to stifle her.

"Leave it. There's something I need you to help me with in the Potions room."

Belle sighed. "Yes, Professor. I'll be right out." She looked into Ruby's eyes, regretting ever agreeing to help set up classes. She moved her hand from Ruby's mouth and frowned. "I have to go…" she whispered sadly.

"How much longer will you be?"

"Not too long. I'll meet you in the dormitory in an hour." She placed her hands on Ruby's face, pulling her close. She kissed her, smiling when she felt Ruby smile. She pulled back slowly. "Leave after we do. I don't need you costing Gryffindor more points," she teased as she opened the curtain and exited the supply room.

* * *

Ruby sat on her bed waiting, her fingers drumming impatiently on top of the sheets. She hadn't stopped smiling for two hours. Her mind was replaying that moment over and over again. It didn't matter that it was ten o' clock, and she was completely exhausted, and everyone would be coming back tomorrow.

Belle had kissed her.

She was so adorable, so perfect, and she had kissed her. She had kissed Ruby first.

Ruby grinned, falling back onto her pillow as she recognized the taste of Belle's lips still on her own.

God, she wanted to kiss her again. What could possibly be taking her so long? Almost as if on cue, Ruby heard the portrait hole swing open and hurried footsteps race up the dormitory stairs. Belle burst through the door, looking flustered.

"I am so sorry I'm late. She just wouldn't let me leave. I had to clean erasers at least three times before she was satisfied, and she made me grade at least thirty papers, which I don't even think I'm allowed to do. And then, she needed me to help her carry – " But she was cut off as Ruby leapt from her bed and placed her finger over Belle's lips softly, a smile creeping onto her face. Her finger slid gently down Belle's jawline before lifting her chin slowly. She looked up in a daze and met Ruby's eyes. "Where were we?"

"Uh – um – we – we were just – " Belle stuttered rapidly, her voice fading away as Ruby leaned in closer. Her hand slid up to the back of Belle's neck and she pulled the beautiful girl towards her, finally capturing her lips again, backing her up against Mary Margaret's bed post and trapping her in Ruby's grip.

Belle wrapped her arms securely around Ruby's waist, her hands sliding just underneath her shirt to brush against cold, smooth skin. Her back pressed against the firm stick of wood, and she arched upwards against it, pulling Ruby even closer so that there was not a single space between them.

Ruby felt goosebumps spread madly throughout her body from wherever Belle's fingertips touched. She bit down gently on Belle's lip and another tiny moan escaped her in a breath as she pulled back, her hands still around Ruby's waist as she realized her fingernails were digging into Ruby's stomach.

She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a ragged breath. Ruby's mouth curved into a captivating smile again.

"So what do we do about this?" Ruby whispered quietly, her fingers running gently over Belle's cheeks.

"We … " Belle paused delicately. "We keep doing it?" She began to flush deep red.

Ruby chuckled at her innocence. "You don't have to ask, Belle." She kissed her forehead lightly. "I." Ruby kissed her neck. "Am." Ruby kissed her cheek. "All." Ruby kissed the tip of her nose. "Yours."

Belle felt her legs give out when Ruby kissed her lips. Her hands gripped the front of Ruby's shirt, and she toppled backwards onto Mary Margaret's bed, the darker-haired girl on top of her, their lips never parting.

* * *

Belle awoke first. It wasn't startling like the last time she awoke in Ruby's arms. This time was definitely different. She was content and comfortable with the feeling of Ruby's arm wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her close. She smiled at how adorable Ruby looked when she slept. She actually had a small hint of innocence, which Belle knew was farthest from the truth, but it was still beautiful to see.

She raised her hand, gently brushing a stray red streak of hair away from Ruby's face. Her hand jerked back when Ruby shuddered awake. Her eyes were half-closed with sleep as she looked around the room momentarily before her full attention landed on Belle. She smiled broadly, pulling her a little closer.

"Good morning," she greeted sleepily.

Belle smiled back. "Good morning," she replied, inching closer. She pressed her lips to Ruby's softly, enjoying the small, happy hum coming from the other girl at the contact. She moved back and looked into her eyes. "I could wake up like this every morning."

"Me too." Ruby's fingers circled softly on the small of Belle's back. Her expression turned serious for a moment. "So, Belle..." Belle's face tensed and Ruby noticed it immediately. She squeezed her impossibly closer. "Relax, please, I just want to ask you something..."

Belle's face relaxed. "Okay, your tone just sounded so serious. I thought I did something wrong."

"No, never," Ruby assured her. She swallowed back the nervousness. "What are we now? I mean, would you…" She paused, losing her train of thought when she locked eyes with Belle. Her beautiful blue eyes were focused on her and her alone. "…consider yourself my girlfriend?"

Belle couldn't stop the smile as it spread across her lips. "Nothing would make me happier than to be considered your girlfriend." She touched Ruby's face. "Now I have an even bigger reason to show off my new jacket."

Ruby laughed. "I'm so glad you like it."

"I told you." Belle looked deeply into her eyes. "I love it."

Ruby stared back for a brief moment before she inched closer. She pressed her lips to Belle's. The smaller girl inched closer, wrapping her hand around Ruby's neck. They kissed slowly. Ruby's hand gripped her waist tightly as Belle intertwined her leg with Ruby's. They became lost in one another, completely unaware of the sound of someone walking up the stairs and into the dormitory.

"Okay, seriously?" Mary Margret questioned loudly, causing them to pull apart and look at her. She stood at the foot of her bed, her hands on her hips. "You two couldn't walk the two extra steps and do this on Ruby's bed?"

The blush covered their faces quickly as the turned onto their backs and scooted off the bed. "Sorry…" they muttered in unison as Mary Margret rolled her eyes and placed her suitcase on the bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma ran.

She ran fast enough to put distance between her and the rest of her team. She made sure to her beanie was pulled down tightly over her ears so she could shut out the world around her. She felt someone tug on her arm and was instantly confused at how they caught her. She turned to her left, never slowing down. She heard Graham's muffled pleas for her to stop and talk to him, but she just shook her head and took off faster.

Graham stopped throwing his hands up as he shouted her name. She glanced back at him, but continued on her way. This was the first time she appreciated the team's morning work outs. It gave her time to think. So much had happened over Christmas break. She didn't know how much longer she could keep hiding. She wanted the freedom Ruby and Belle had. She wanted her friends to accept what was going on in her life the same way they accepted what was going on in theirs.

She turned a corner, her eyes catching a group sitting under a tree. Regina sat with Bobby and Gaston, laughing wickedly as Bobby turned an apple black as night. Regina turned her head, catching eyes with Emma. She smiled softly at her and Emma smiled back. Her smile faded quickly when Bobby waved his hand silently telling her to mind her business and keep moving. Gaston barked a laugh and Regina looked away and down sadly.

Emma rolled her eyes and turned away. Her jaw clenched and twitched. She ran harder and faster. When she was far enough away from everyone, she stopped. She bent over, her hands resting on her knees as she breathed in and out heavily. Something had to change. She was tired of hiding, tired of running. She just wanted to be happy.

Ruby caught up to Graham. "Did you talk to her?" she asked, jogging in place.

Graham shot her a look. "Does it look like I'm talking to her?" he snapped as he shook his head and they started running again. He looked at Ruby from the corner of his eye. "Did she say anything to you during break?"

Ruby shook her head. "She was never around."

"Are you sure she was never around?" He cocked his eyebrow and grinned. "Or were you too involved in the book worm to notice her presence?"

Ruby slapped his arm. "Don't call her that." She picked up her pace a bit. "And I was completely aware of her not being there. I just wish I knew exactly where she kept going."

Graham started to run faster. "So, tell me, Lucas…" He smirked broadly at her. "Is she a good kisser? I mean, she seems a bit on the shy side so…"

Ruby's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to kill you," she threatened as she reached out to grab him.

"You gotta catch me first!" With that, he shot off as fast as he could.

Ruby growled as she ducked her head and started after him. She was within inches of catching him when she noticed Belle sitting cross-legged on a bench, flicking her wand as she practiced a spell. Belle raised her head and noticed Ruby looking in her direction. She smiled and wiggled her fingers in a small, adorable wave. Ruby went to wave back, but suddenly lost her balance and went toppling forward, knocking Graham to the ground.

"What the hell, Lucas?!" Graham shouted when Ruby landed on top of him.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby replied, pushing herself off of him. She stood, wiping herself off and extended her hand to help him up. "I got distracted."

Graham accepted her hand, glancing to the side to see Belle rushing toward them. He grinned as Ruby lifted him from the ground. "Yeah, I bet you did."

Belle rushed to Ruby's side, spinning her around and touching her face. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

Ruby smiled and nodded. "I'm fine."

Belle's hands wandered over her face, her neck, and then her arms. "Are you sure? That was a bad fall."

"I'm fine, babe. I promise," she assured her, laughter lacing her voice.

Graham held his finger up. "I'm okay too, you know, in case you were wondering. I mean, she did land on me but, whatever…"

Belle turned to him and smiled. "I'm sorry, Graham. Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yes, thank you for asking." He motioned his head toward the rest of the team that was further ahead. "Lucas, we gotta go."

Ruby pouted. She didn't want to leave now that Belle was with her. "I'll see you for lunch?" she inquired, flashing Belle an adorable grin.

"Of course." Belle leaned up, kissing her softly before pushing her along. "Go. Before you get in trouble."

Ruby shrugged. "It's not like that's never happened before," she joked as she kissed her one more time and took off after Graham.

Belle pressed her teeth into her bottom lip, smiling brightly. She watched Ruby run off, waving when the girl glanced back at her and winked. She felt like she could float back to the bench. She never thought it was possible to be this happy. To care about someone so much. Who would have thought it would be Ruby Lucas who changed her life?

* * *

Belle was eating an extremely amazing sandwich, a book propped up on her glass, when two soft hands covered her eyes. "Guess who?" A gentle, low voice whispered in her ear, sending tingles across her arms.

"Ruby!" Belle whined. "Now I lost my spot."

Ruby laughed and uncovered her eyes, sitting quickly beside her and gently turning Belle's face towards hers. "I missed you," she smiled.

"I missed you too," Belle pressed a light kiss onto Ruby's lips, lingering there for a moment with her eyes closed and Ruby's fingers resting softly on her cheeks.

"Okay, you two, break it up," August said, as he and Graham sat across from the girls. "I'm happy for you and all, but I don't want to see that."

Just to smite him, Ruby grabbed Belle's face between her hands and captured her lips in a passion-filled kiss. Belle knew it was meant to be a joke, but she felt herself sink into it, pulling Ruby as close to her as the benches would allow.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Graham sighed, leaning forward and whacking them each on the head. "Would you knock it off?" he laughed. "Everyone's looking."

Ruby unwillingly turned away from Belle and grinned mischievously at them. "You asked for it."

"No, I specifically recall us _not_ asking for it," August laughed, turning to Graham. "So did you hear about the big upset last weekend?"

"Of course I did, you idiot! It was all over the place. What? Do you think I live under Hagrid's hut?"

Belle used their momentary distraction to get Ruby's attention. "Do you want to get out of here?" she whispered in her ear.

Ruby nodded immediately, grabbing Belle's hand and pulling her from the table. Graham and August didn't even notice. They were too busy debating the so-called upset.

"I'm telling you! The umpire is a blind prick. Clearly, Lynch fouled him!" Graham roared in protest.

"No he did not! It was a clean block!"

"What would you know about clean?"

"I know a lot actually. At least, your mother thinks so."

"Yeah, ha ha, August. We both know I beat you to it."

Belle and Ruby had erupted in laughter by the time they exited the Great Hall. "So where do you want to go?" Ruby asked.

"Well … I found this room on the seventh floor the other day. It was the strangest thing, but it's absolutely incredible. … And it's a complete secret."

Ruby raised her eyebrows. "I'm listening."

Belle blushed. "I thought we could go there for a while and be … um … "

"Alone?" Ruby smiled. "I love the sound of that." She gently brushed her fingertips over Belle's blushing cheeks. "What are we waiting for?"

Belle smiled and tugged Ruby up the many flights of stairs excitedly, stopping in the seventh floor corridor and staring at the wall.

"Well, that was extremely disappointing," Ruby sighed. "Thanks for dashing my hopes like that, Belle."

"Would you hold on a minute?" Belle laughed, walking back and forth in front of the wall three times, her eyes shut tight.

And then, just like that, a door appeared on the wall. Ruby's jaw dropped. "I love magic," she breathed.

Belle pushed it open and held out her hand to Ruby. "Come on," she smiled.

Ruby allowed herself to be lead into the large room. She scanned it in wonder. It was brightly lit at first, but the further they walked in, the more it changed. The lighting dimmed and Belle smiled. There was a small couch in the center. On the floor were pillows and a few blankets. There was also a fireplace, not much bigger than the one in the common room, burning brightly.

Belle ushered Ruby ahead of her. "Sit," she requested. Ruby obliged and took a seat on the floor in front of the couch, her back resting comfortably against it. Belle rolled her eyes, releasing a tiny laugh. "You would choose to sit on the floor."

Ruby grinned. "I have more room to stretch out down here." She patted the space next to her. "Now you sit."

Belle smiled softly and joined her on the floor. She scooted close to Ruby's side, taking the girl's hand in her own. She kissed her lightly before resting her head on Ruby's shoulder. "It's nice and quiet in here," she said, her thumb mindlessly caressing the back of Ruby's hand. "And no chance of being interrupted."

Ruby smiled brightly. "How'd you find this place?"

"We never have any real privacy in the common room. I learned that the day August interrupted us so you both could use it as a football field." She heard Ruby laugh which made her chuckle. She found herself loving the sound of Ruby's laugh and made a mental note to find ways to hear it more often. "I wanted to find somewhere we could be totally alone. I heard rumors about the Room of Requirement so I went searching for it and, well, here we are."

Ruby felt her stomach flutter at the effort Belle made to find them a private place to be together. Every day they were together, Belle surprised her. Considering the way their relationship started out, Belle caring about spending time with her was a shock in itself.

"Can I ask you something?" Ruby inquired cautiously.

Belle raised her head from her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Of course you can."

Ruby swallowed nervously. She felt her grip on Belle's hand tighten. The movement was done out of worry. As if she was afraid her question would make Belle question her feelings and she would get up and leave. Belle's brow drew together, concerned by the silence and worry filling her girlfriend's beautiful eyes.

"Ruby, what's wrong?"

Ruby didn't respond; she leaned in, kissing Belle softly. She felt Belle's hand slip out of her own and rest gently on her cheek. She pulled back slowly, resting her forehead against Belle's before finally speaking. "Did you really hate me? I mean, before this…"

Belle moved back, surprised by her question. "No, I..." She closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled heavily. She opened her eyes, meeting Ruby's once again. "I didn't hate you ... and when I told you I didn't particularly like you very much … I don't think I really meant that either..."

Ruby looked confused, but her worry did lighten a bit. "Explain…" she requested.

Now, it was Belle's turn to be nervous. "I was always…" Her face scrunched in thought. "Irritated by you..."

Ruby's expression saddened. She shifted away from Belle and leaned back against the couch. "Well, that's great to hear…"

"No, no … let me explain..." She scrambled quickly. She changed her position so she was straddling Ruby's waist, her hands planted firmly on her girlfriend's face. "I couldn't figure out why you bothered me so much. Everything you did, everything you said just got under my skin…"

"This is not helping…"

Belle sighed. She paused, thinking for a moment. "Ruby, it was because I liked you. I've always liked you. … I just didn't want to admit it because we are so different and you didn't even know I existed..." She began running her fingers through the sides of Ruby's soft dark hair. "I didn't think I'd have a chance in your world. So I turned what I was feeling into what you thought was hate." She smiled shyly. "And it made you actually pay attention to me. Even though you were tormenting me, you noticed me."

The smile slowly returned to Ruby's lips. She cocked her head, her eyes narrowing questioningly. "So…" she said, gripping Belle's waist. "You actually enjoyed me acting like a little kid on the playground pushing around the girl she secretly thought was cute?"

Belle felt the blush on her cheeks as she nodded. She shrugged her shoulder. "I did…"

"And when you yelled at me and got us both detentions…?"

Her blush deepened. "I was thrilled that you stood up for me…" she confessed, her hands resting on the back of Ruby's neck. Her face turned serious for a moment. "Even though I was extremely capable of handling the situation on my own."

Ruby rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh, please, he was – "

Her sentence was cut short by Belle's lips pressing against her own. She dug her fingers into Belle's waist as their kiss deepened, doing everything she could to have her closer. Belle hovered over her, pulling back slightly, her teeth grazing over Ruby's bottom lip. She received a soft moan for her efforts and she smiled wickedly before pressing her lips fully to Ruby's once again.

The thought of Belle ever hating her was gone from her mind. She just wished she had seen the reality behind Belle's behavior sooner. But, they were together now, and that's all that mattered. With every movement, every touch, she knew the past was a distant memory. All she cared about was Belle, this moment, and every moment they would share after this. Ruby never wanted this feeling to end and she hoped it never would.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey! Lucas!" Ruby turned around sharply, only to be pelted by a slew of ink. Thick, black liquid stained her hair, flowing down her cheeks, soaking through her shirt and dripping onto the floor.

She wiped it out of her eyes to see Gaston, Bobby and Victor laughing at her hysterically. "You are dead," Ruby growled, drawing her wand.

"I'd like to see you try," Bobby smiled, giving a lazy flick of his wand that sent Ruby flying against the wall.

"GOLD! I'm going to kill you!" Ruby raised her wand furiously, scrambling to her feet. "Tarantellegra!"

Bobby's legs began to fly about madly, and Ruby smiled in triumph before Gaston and Victor both raised their wands.

"Two on one, Ruby?" Gaston taunted. "You sure you want to risk it?"

"Let's go! I'm not afraid of you!" she shouted. "Stu – "

"No, no, no!" Belle protested, running down the hall, books in hand, coming to a stop and resting her hand on Ruby's arm. "Snape's coming. Do you want to play tomorrow or not?"

Ruby reluctantly shoved her wand in her pocket and allowed Belle to pull her into the bathroom. "You are filthy," she mumbled.

"Yeah, well, that's all thanks to those three jackasses."

"They're just trying to wind you up," Belle assured her, brushing a sticky lock of unnaturally black hair from Ruby's forehead. "We can fix this easily." She slowly drew her wand from her pocket and mumbled, "Scourgify." And with a flick of her wrist, all the ink disappeared. "There," Belle grinned broadly and kissed Ruby lightly on the lips, lingering for several seconds with her fingers resting on her soft cheeks. "All better."

"I love you," Ruby said before she could stop herself, leaning in to return her kiss, but Belle was frozen.

"What – what did you say?" Her eyes were wide, her mouth open slightly.

"I – I – um – I said that – I love you?" she mumbled.

For a moment, Ruby thought Belle was going to break up with her. She had moved much too fast, but something had made those words fall out, and she couldn't take them back now.

To her complete surprise, Belle's fingers gripped her hair tighter and pulled her lips down, catching her lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Ruby's hands wrapped around Belle's waist and yanked her closer.

When Belle pulled back, she had a smile across her face. "I love you too," she whispered.

"You – you do?"

"Of course I do, Ruby."

Ruby's thumbs brushed gently over Belle's cheeks, shocked to find they were damp. "Are you crying?" she smirked.

"No … " Belle reached up and tried to hurriedly wipe her eyes. "They're just watering."

"Sure they are," Ruby grinned. She reached up and grabbed Belle's hands, intertwining their fingers below her waist.

"I'm such a loser, huh?" Belle chuckled.

Ruby kissed her forehead gently. "I don't care. You're _my_ loser."

* * *

"Lucas, let's go!" Graham shouted, banging his broom against the floor. He looked at his watch. "Game time in twenty!"

Ruby ignored his shouts. She was too busy watching her girlfriend prepare for her match. She smiled when Belle put on the jacket she had given her, pulling her hair out so it laid over her name. Ruby stood from her bed and walked over to her. She wrapped her arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek.

"You look beautiful," she whispered, kissing her cheek again.

Belle felt the shiver run down her spine as Ruby's words tickled her ear. She turned in her arms, wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck. "Thank you," she replied, giving her a small kiss. She looked Ruby up and down, grinning as she brought her lips closer again. "Have I ever told you that I love a woman in uniform?"

Ruby grinned, pulling her closer. "How about after the game, we go to our special place?" She kissed her as she spoke. "I can sneak some food from the Great Hall…"

Belle smiled broadly as Ruby's lips brushed against hers. "That sounds wonderful."

As Ruby leaned in closer, a bang on the door caused them to jump apart. They turned to see Graham looking irritated. "Seriously, we have to go!" he growled, waving his hand at them. "You can continue this little make out session after the game. Come on!"

Ruby rolled her eyes and exhaled heavily. "Okay, I'm coming." She turned her attention to Belle. "Wish me luck?"

"You don't need it, but…" She kissed her quickly. "Good luck."

"I'll see you after the game." Ruby kissed the tip of her nose, grabbed her broom and headed toward the door. She placed her hand on the frame, stopping to look at Belle one more time. "I love you."

Belle smiled brightly, feeling the blush on her cheeks. "I love you too," she responded as Ruby winked at her and hurried after Graham.

* * *

Belle had never been to a Quidditch match. She used the time when the house was completely empty to read. She was never one for organized sports. But, here she was, at the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch match. The only reason she was there was because Ruby asked her to be. She took a seat in the farthest row in the back, wrapping the jacket Ruby gave her tightly around herself, and watched.

Ruby was sitting on her broom, waiting patiently for the Snitch to be released. Gaston was sitting on his broom, only a foot away from her. Belle watched her, smiling lightly as Ruby inspected her fingers. She looked disinterested, but that was her strategy. She acted as if she wasn't paying attention and then she would catch the snitch within seconds and win the game. Belle was hoping the game would be over quickly. She was anxious to spend time alone with Ruby in their special spot.

The match was going back and forth, each team scoring right after the other. The snitch was released and Gaston moved his head quickly from side to side as he tried to focus on it. Ruby looked up, watching it carefully before it disappeared. She leaned forward on her broom and zoomed after it, Gaston hot on her tail. Belle watched intently as she ducked and swerved her way through other players. She sat straight up when she saw Ruby's hand stretch out. The game was about to be over. She would grab it and Gryffindor would win.

And that's when it happened.

A bludger came from nowhere and hit Ruby right in the side of the face. She was instantly knocked out and her broom started to plummet toward the ground. Belle stood quickly, and without thinking, ran down the row and down the stairs as fast as she could. She could see one of the professors casting a spell to slow Ruby down. She landed limp on the field, rolling off of her broom, unconscious.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" Belle ordered as she pushed her way through the crowd forming around Ruby.

"Miss French, you really shouldn't be down here."

Belle shot Madame Pomfrey an unintentional glare. "She's my girlfriend! I have every right to be here!" She rushed to Ruby's side, kneeling next to her. She took her hand and touched her face. "Ruby, sweetheart? Wake up, please…" She could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes. She leaned in close, brushing the hair away from Ruby's face. "Ruby, please." She leaned in and lightly kissed her lips.

Ruby groaned as her eyes slowly opened. She winced at the pain in her face as she looked into Belle's eyes. "Hey…" she greeted groggily.

Belle smiled, the tears falling from her eyes. "Hey…" she returned, stroking Ruby's face.

Her eyes were half-open as she enjoyed the feeling of Belle's gentle, comforting touch. It made her forget about the shooting pain. She looked at Belle through half-closed eyes. "Did I catch it?"

Belle laughed through her tears. "Almost, sweetheart. Almost."

* * *

Ruby was let out of the hospital wing at nine. The two girls walked down the hall with their fingers intertwined, Belle still in her jacket and Ruby still in her uniform.

"You really didn't have to miss dinner for me, Belle," Ruby smiled widely.

"Yes, I did," she insisted, grasping Ruby's hand even tighter. "How could I leave you when I didn't know if you were all right?"

"It's not like you would have known by staying with me, and now you're probably hungry."

Belle shrugged. "I'll live. … Ruby, I wanted to stay with you, okay? I care about you."

Ruby blushed. "Well then, I'm glad you did." She kissed Belle playfully on the cheek. "Now, let's go down to the kitchen and get some food for ourselves."

"Are we allowed to do that?"

"No, but it's easy. You just have to tickle the – " Ruby stopped suddenly, her words trapped in the back of her throat, her feet incapable of movement. Beside her, Belle was open-mouthed and wide-eyed. Neither of them could believe what they were seeing.

Regina and Emma were kissing. They were kissing. And it wasn't light and playful; it was deep and passionate. They looked like they were trying to eat each other. Emma's fingers tangled in Regina's short hair, pulling the older girl towards her with unprecedented strength. Regina's hands were hidden underneath Emma's shirt. Ruby could tell neither girl knew they were being watched.

Belle grabbed Ruby's hand again and tried to pull her from the scene, but it was too late.

"What the hell are you guys doing down here?!" Emma demanded as she and Regina leapt apart, the normally composed Slytherin now a deep shade of purple.

"What are _you guys_ doing down here?" Belle rebutted.

"I'm afraid that's none of your business," snapped Regina.

"Baby, it's okay. … We – we can trust them," Emma whispered nervously. She turned back to Ruby and Belle. "We – we're together." She reached for Regina's hand cautiously, but the older girl crossed her arms.

"Oh … " Belle mumbled.

Regina gave an angry laugh, misinterpreting Belle's shock for hostility. "Oh please. So it's okay for you two to date, but when we try and do it, you suddenly have a problem?! Get off your throne, princess!"

"Hey! Don't talk to her like that!" Ruby shouted.

"I'll talk to her however I want!"

"Regina … " Emma grabbed her arm gently.

"It's not like she's worth a damn with that filthy Muggle mother of hers!"

"Hey!"

"Ruby!" Belle cried, grabbing her Quidditch robes and holding her back.

"You _bitch_!" Ruby yelled, fighting Belle's grip.

Regina drew her wand in an instant.

"Regina, no!" protested Emma. The look of anger vanished from Regina's face as she looked into Emma's sad eyes. She lowered her wand slowly before turning and running down the hall.

"Regina! Regina, wait!" Emma took off down the hall after her, and Ruby shrugged out of Belle's grip, her eyes narrowed in fury.

"Ruby!" Belle scolded, turning her around. "Why did you do that?!"

"What?" Ruby gaped. "She – did you hear what that jackass said?!"

"Yes, but it's okay. I wouldn't have gotten this far if I couldn't handle a spiteful jab now and then. Don't you understand?"

"Understand what?"

"Regina's scared, Ruby. She's not as comfortable being open with her relationship with Emma as we are with ours. She was just being defensive."

"Well, that's no excuse to – "

"And she's important to Emma."

Ruby sighed. "I know. I was just trying to stick up for you."

Belle chuckled softly, grabbing Ruby's hands. "Well, thank you. Just – just try to be nice to Regina from now on … for Emma's sake?"

She let out a frustrated breath. "Okay…" Belle stood on her tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

"We can't tell anyone else about this. Not until they're ready."

"Of course."

"Especially not Mary Margaret."

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

* * *

Ruby lay on her bed, waiting for Emma to come back so she could apologize and promise her that she and Belle would stay quiet. But she never got the chance. The exhaustion had set in and her eyes grew heavy. She couldn't fight it any longer. Her eyes slowly closed and she fell asleep.

Emma came to back to the dormitory at three in the morning, collapsing onto her bed fully dressed and shoving her face into her pillow to muffle the sobs that wrenched through her body. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. She clutched her pillow tightly, doing her best to keep her sobs to herself. She refused to let the others see her this way. She didn't have the strength to explain it with another lie.

She felt her bed shift and she immediately stiffened. She tried to control herself, but her body continued to shake with tears desperately trying to fall. The pillow was being pulled from her grip. She looked up to see Ruby staring down at her, concern lacing her tired features.

"Emma…" she whispered, the concern evident in her voice. Without a word, Emma shifted, laying her head on Ruby's lap as she allowed the tears to fall freely. She hesitated for only a moment before stroking her friend's hair comfortingly. "It's okay. … It'll be okay..."

"How can you be sure?" Emma inquired; her tone was low and broken. "She doesn't want anyone to know. … I'm so tired of hiding, Ruby. ... I j – just…" She released another heavy sob causing Ruby to bend and hug her. "I just want what you and Belle have. … I just want to be happy with her…"

"I know, Em…" Ruby pressed a soft kiss to her friend's head as she continued to stroke her hair. "I promise it'll work out. If Regina cares about you ... like I hope she does … she'll come to her senses..." She smiled. "And, if she doesn't, I'll have Belle turn her into a frog or something…"

Emma laughed through her tears. She wrapped her arm around Ruby's legs and squeezed tightly. "I'm sorry for everything I said to you ... for avoiding you ... I just…"

"Had a lot going on. I understand," Ruby finished, her comforting strokes never ceasing. "I'm sorry too, Emma. Just know that I'm here for you and I will always be here for you. No matter what."

"Thank you, Ruby."


	10. Chapter 10

The weekend had finally arrived. There were no classes. No practice. No studying. Just their quiet moment in the secret little room that had become their sanctuary. Belle lay on the couch, her head in Ruby's lap, feeling the soft touch of fingers in her hair. She let out a content sigh and turned onto her back to stare up at Ruby, at the girl she was in love with.

"Did you get a chance to talk to Emma this morning?" she asked. "She wasn't in the dormitory when I woke up."

Ruby stared down at her and nodded. "She came back at like three in the morning. She was crying."

Belle frowned at the thought of Emma in pain. "Is she okay?"

"Not really." Ruby continued to run her fingers through her love's hair, enjoying the way the soft brown strains felt. "Regina isn't ready to tell anyone about them. Emma is." She traced a line down Belle's face with her finger. "She's just tired of hiding." Her hand rested on the side of Belle's face, her thumb caressing her bottom lip. "I don't blame her though. I don't think I could handle it if we had to hide what we have."

Belle took her hand, gently kissing her palm. "I'm glad we don't have to." She started to kiss each of Ruby's fingers, but suddenly stopped. Her eyes went wide and she grinned.

Ruby stared at her for a moment, her eyes narrowed, and she slowly shook her head. "Whatever you're thinking, the answer is no."

"Oh come on, Ruby," she pleaded, sitting up quickly. She sat on her knees next to her girlfriend. She turned Ruby's face so she was looking at her. "We can help Emma." An excited look covered her features. "I can talk to Regina. Let her know that people are more understanding then she thinks."

"Belle…" Ruby sighed.

"Ruby, we are experiencing everything Emma wants. We can help them!"

"I don't know, Belle. Regina isn't exactly our biggest fan. Yours especially." She released a small chuckle when Belle's eyes narrowed at her. She waved her hands in front of herself. "We should just stay out of it and let whatever happens happen."

Belle raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want Emma to be happy?"

Ruby looked slightly insulted by the question. "Of course I do!"

"Then let's help her." Belle flashed her an adorably pleading look. "Please, Ruby?"

Ruby stared at her, trying to fight the smile when Belle pouted playfully. Any other time she would give in and give Belle whatever she asked for, but this was different. This was involving yourself in someone's love life. One person being your best friend, and the other being someone who couldn't stand the sight of you.

Ruby shook her head. "No, Belle, we can't." She took Belle's hand in hers, patting the top of it. "If Emma wanted us to get involved, she would have asked. I think we should just leave this alone."

Belle pouted harder. She knew that she could help Emma and Regina. Even though Ruby thought it was a bad idea, she still wanted to do it. She respected her girlfriend too much to go against her so she had to figure out a way to get her to agree. After a moment of silence, she grinned mischievously and leaned a little closer to Ruby.

"Please, Ruby…" she begged, her lips just inches from Ruby's.

Ruby swallowed hard at the nearness. "Belle, no. Seriously, just let it go," she requested, doing her best not to lose her resolve.

Belle leaned in closer and released Ruby's hand. Her hand snaked up her love's arm, over her shoulder and tangled in back of her dark hair. She completely bypassed Ruby's lips and began kissing her way up her neck slowly and softly. Ruby felt a chill run through her body at each touch of Belle's lips against her skin. Her eyes rolled back and closed instantly.

"Please, Ruby…" she pleaded again through each kiss. She smiled when she heard Ruby moan a small "no". She knew she was weakening. She made her way to her jaw, kissing a line up to her ear. Her lips pressed close as she spoke again. "Please…?"

Ruby growled and exhaled heavily. "Okay ... fine…" she groaned as Belle jumped happily and kissed her lips. She pulled back, looking sternly into her deep blue eyes. "You play unfair."

"I know," Belle grinned as she held Ruby's face in her hands. "I promise: everything will be okay."

Ruby pulled Belle onto her lap, causing the smaller girl to shriek and laugh. "It better be," she ordered, giving her a mock scolding look. "Just try not to push it, okay?" She touched the tip of Belle's nose with her finger to solidify her point. "I don't want Regina to fly off the handle and do something stupid to you."

"Don't worry." She reached up, placing her hands on the sides of Ruby's face. "I have a plan." She pulled her lips down to meet her own, giving her a loving kiss.

* * *

Belle led Ruby through the Great Hall by the hand. She was following reluctantly, still unsure about this idea, but Belle was persistent. She wanted to help Emma.

"Belle, please don't make me do this," Ruby whined. "I really don't – " But they stopped bravely in front of the Slytherin table, facing Regina, Bobby and Gaston.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Gaston stood up.

"Yeah, clear out," Bobby turned around. "Or do I need to make you again?"

Ruby narrowed her eyes, ready to open her mouth, but Belle elbowed her. "Regina?" she asked calmly. "Can we talk to you for a moment?"

"No," she said coldly.

"Please?" persisted Belle. "It's about the other night."

"She told you no," Gaston stood abruptly. "Now get away from our table." He took out his wand.

"Gaston, it's all right," Regina placed a hand on his arm. "I'll go."

"Regina…" Bobby cautioned.

"It's fine. Do you honestly think I can't take them?" Regina and her friends laughed, and Ruby rolled her eyes and walked hand-in-hand with Belle from the Great Hall, Regina following behind.

When they reached the corridor, Belle turned around sharply and turned to Ruby expectantly. "Right – uh – we need to talk to you."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Yes, I gathered that."

"What happened between you and Emma after you ran away?" Ruby asked impatiently.

"I still don't see how that's any of your business."

"Well, tough shit, Regina. She came back to the dormitory at three in the morning sobbing her eyes out. … She is our friend, and we're not going to stand by and watch her have her heartbroken. … So we're making it our business." Belle looked at her in surprise. "What happened?" she repeated insistently.

Regina sighed and said, in an exasperated tone, "When she caught up to me, she was upset because I had insulted you," she gestured lazily to Belle. "And she kept saying that you wouldn't tell anybody."

"Well, it's the truth. We won't … but Regina, I think it's time you stopped hiding."

Regina laughed. "You say that like it's so simple."

"It _is_," Belle spoke up. "Regina, Ruby and I are proof of that."

"You know, you're right, Belle; it is easy – for _you_. Everything is easy for you. Do you know what my mother would do to me if she found out I was dating a Gryffindor? A Half-Blood? Do you know what she would do to Emma if she ever found out that I … that I was in love with her?" Regina crossed her arms. "Please stop pretending to understand. … You don't," she said through gritted teeth.

"Regina, Emma wants to be with you more than anything," Ruby said softly.

"And that's exactly why this has to stay a secret."

"What's going on?" Emma inquired suspiciously as the girls turned to her. She looked from one to the next. Her attention landed solely on Regina. "Regina...?"

The older girl stared back at her. The expression on her face saddened as she shook her head and walked away. Belle took a step forward to follow, but Ruby grabbed her arm and shook her head. Belle sighed and looked at Emma, who was completely confused.

"What just happened?" Emma pointed in the direction Regina had gone. "What did you guys say to her?"

Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but Belle spoke first. "We were just trying to help, Emma."

Emma flashed her a questioning look. "What do mean by help?"

Belle glanced at Ruby, then returned her attention to Emma. "We just wanted her to know that she didn't have to hide her relationship with you or her feelings for you..." She shrugged one shoulder. "We wanted her to know that no one will judge her. If she's in love with you…"

"Wait … wait…" Emma raised an eyebrow. "Did she say she's in love with me?"

Ruby nodded finally. "She did."

A smile slowly spread across Emma's lips. She pulled Belle into a tight hug. The smaller girl was surprised by the action, but hugged her back. "Thank you for trying," she whispered. She moved back, her smile widening. "I gotta go find her." She gave Belle a kiss on the cheek, pushed Ruby playfully, and ran off.

Ruby's brow knitted tightly together as she looked at Belle. "Did she just kiss you?"

Belle rolled her eyes. "On the cheek, relax," she laughed, looping her arm through Ruby's. "I told you everything would be okay."

"But what if Regina still doesn't want to tell anyone?"

Belle smiled confidently. "She loves her, Ruby." She snuggled close to her. "Love can conquer any fear. It's more powerful than any magic."

* * *

"Lucas, you gonna come play?" Graham called out, bouncing a soccer ball on his knee.

Ruby sat under a willow tree with her back against it. Belle sat pressed against her with her hand resting on Ruby's thigh. She shook her head, waving her hand at him. "No, you guys go ahead," she replied. "I'm good here."

Belle glanced back at her. "You can go play."

Ruby smiled at her. "But I'm comfortable." She placed a small kiss on Belle's forehead causing Graham to groan.

"If I knew you getting in a relationship would make you boring, I would have never supported it," he stated as both girls shot him a dirty look.

"Who's boring?" Mulan questioned as she took a seat next to Ruby.

Ruby turned to her. "Apparently I am."

Mulan huffed, wiping her hands together as she settled against the tree. "He's just jealous because the closest he's ever gotten to being in a relationship is with August."

Graham's eyes narrowed in mock anger as the other girls laughed. "Screw all of you," he grumbled as he turned and ran off.

Ruby nudged Mulan. "I think you struck a nerve," she laughed, giving her friend a high-five.

Mulan shrugged. "He'll get over it."

They watched as some of the Gryffindor boys went back-and-forth playing the roughest game of soccer they had ever seen. Mulan's attention shifted momentarily as she caught sight of Aurora walking passed them, her nose buried in a spell book.

At the moment she came within steps of passing the girls, August kicked the ball hard past Graham and David. The ball came hurdling toward Aurora, who was completely unaware of it. Ruby and Belle were about to yell out a warning when Mulan pulled out her wand.

"Protego!" Mulan shouted, and the ball deflected off an invisible shield, flying away from Aurora and hitting Graham in the back of the head.

"Damn it, man!" Graham shouted as August raised his hands apologetically.

Aurora raised her head finally, her eyes squinted, unsure of what had just happened. She turned, catching Mulan's gaze and smiling timidly. "Hi, Mulan," she greeted, shyly tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Hey…" Mulan responded coolly as the girl smiled brightly and continued on her way. She turned to see Ruby and Belle staring at her and made a face. "What**?"**Ruby pressed her lips together to stifle her laughter. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"It doesn't sound like nothing…" she said, her voice laced with suspicion.

Belle stifled another laugh behind her hand, and Mulan rolled her eyes. "Okay you two, I'm gonna go study," she sighed.

As soon as she was out of sight, Ruby and Belle erupted in laughter, clutching their sides. "Oh. My. God," Ruby cried, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Did you see that?"

"They totally like each other," Belle chuckled.

Ruby smiled. "They do, don't they? … But … isn't Aurora dating that Hufflepuff guy?"

"Philip? Yeah, I think so," she shrugged.

"Mulan and Aurora … who would have thought?"

"Oh come on … Emma and Regina?" Belle asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Oh come on … you and me?" Ruby retorted, placing her arms on Belle's waist.

"What are you talking about?" she put on a sly smile. "We are perfect." She leaned forward on her knees, brushing her nose against Ruby's.

"You're perfect," Ruby whispered, lowering her head just an inch so that she could press their lips together lightly. Belle smiled as she did. Her hand wrapped around Ruby's neck, her thumb moving up and down gently, even after the kiss had ended. "I love you," Ruby kissed the tip of her nose, "so much. You know that, right?"

Belle leaned forward again, drowning in the feel of Ruby's lips on hers. "Nope, not a clue."

She felt Ruby's light laugh against her mouth and smiled.

"We should go out sometime," Ruby mumbled, kissing Belle's shoulder, her lips brushing against the bare skin left uncovered by Belle's spaghetti straps.

"I – uh – I kind of thought we already were," Belle chuckled.

Ruby laughed, gently pulling Belle onto her chest again, leaning against the tree and wrapping her arms around Belle's stomach. She breathed in the beautiful scent of roses and kissed the top of her head. "No, I mean like a date. A real date. … There's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up," she suggested.

"I would love go on a real date with you," Belle giggled, nestling up against Ruby's warmth. "Why don't we meet at The Three Broomsticks at eleven?"

"Or we could start the date early and meet in the common room?" Ruby smiled. "Or why not start it even earlier? I'll meet you at eight a.m. in the dormitory."

Belle smiled widely, playing idly with Ruby's fingers. "You better not be late."


	11. Chapter 11

Belle woke up at 7:30. Ruby was, as usual, fast asleep. She was clinging to her blanket desperately, but that was how she always slept, holding onto everything, keeping it close. It was one more thing she felt she had to protect.

Belle sat on the edge of her bed and stroked her hair gently. She gave a quiet moan and mumbled, "Five more minutes."

Belle laughed. "Fine, but our date's in half an hour," she whispered, kissing Ruby's forehead lightly. "Don't be late."

She went downstairs to the common room and was surprised to find it deserted, except for a blue spring dress lying across the back of the sofa. There was note on it. _Wear this. _

Belle smiled softly to herself, feeling the fabric between her fingers. It was soft and so beautiful. It was perfect. And it was blue – her favorite color. She rolled her eyes and held it to her chest.

* * *

Ruby jumped out of bed the minute Belle went downstairs. She had been awake the whole time, but it was all part of the act. She had to get this perfect. Belle deserved perfect. Hell, Belle deserved better than perfect.

She reached into her trunk and pulled out the rose she had picked, setting it on her bed for later. Ruby grabbed the outfit she had set out last night – a red beret, blue jeans, a leather jacket and a dark red shirt.

She changed into it quickly and then started fixing her hair. In no time at all, it was 7:58, and Belle knocked on the door to the girl's dormitory lightly. She stepped into the light, and Ruby gave a smile of approval. It was even more beautiful than she had imagined.

"You're early," she smiled, stepping away from the mirror to grab the rose from her bed. "This – uh – this is for you." Ruby held it out, suddenly nervous. The butterflies in her stomach were fluttering like mad.

Belle took it and sniffed the petals. "Thank you," she blushed. "What is all this for? It's just a date."

"It's our first date," Ruby grinned. "And this is all for you. Because you deserve it."

Belle wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck, bringing their faces closer together. "I didn't get you anything," she admitted.

"We _are_ going to Hogsmeade," Ruby chuckled, the tip of her nose brushing against Belle's cheek. "But it doesn't matter. You gave me you, and that's better than anything I could ever ask for."

Belle couldn't resist anymore; she kissed Ruby passionately, her hands clinging to her neck. But to her surprise, Ruby pulled back, a sly grin covering her face. "A kiss on the first date?" she asked. "You're a little eager, aren't you?"

"You've got to be kidding me…" Belle laughed as Ruby's arms snaked around her waist.

"Come on. The day's barely even started yet. I have so much more for us to do."

"There's more?"

"Of course there's more." And with that, Ruby tugged her out of the dormitory and down the stairs.

* * *

They walked down the path through Hogsmeade closely. Ruby leaned in and whispered something in Belle's ear causing the girl to laugh. They had already been to Honeydukes where Ruby bought more sweets then necessary. Considering her natural energy, adding sugar to the equation was not exactly the best idea. When Belle went to reach into her bag, Ruby narrowed her eyes in a mock angry glare and pulled it away.

Belle dropped her jaw, releasing a small gasp. "You're supposed to be polite on a date," she scolded, reaching out to take the bag from her. She took out a cookie and handed it back.

"You just had to take the cookie, didn't you?" she teased as she brought the bag closer to her face and looked inside it. "Aw, that was my last one too..."

"You'll get over it," Belle teased, taking a bite with a huge grin on her face. "So, where are we going anyway?"

"It's a surprise," Ruby grinned as wrapped her arm around Belle's shoulders, and they continued on their way.

Belle enjoyed the feeling of Ruby's arm around her. She wrapped her arm around her waist, getting as close to the taller girl as she could. As they walked further, they noticed Graham and August running down the path toward them. They glanced at Ruby as they passed. Graham nodded and winked. Ruby nodded back and grinned.

Belle watched her exchange glances with the boy, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What was that?"

Ruby glanced down at her innocently. "What was what?"

"That look."

Ruby drew her brow together before raising her eyebrow. "What look?"

Belle rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "Never mind," she conceded, knowing Ruby would dance around the question all day if she could. She stopped suddenly. "Oh, Ruby, let's go in here."

Ruby looked up at the sign for Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop and groaned. "Oh come on, Belle. That place is so…" She made a face. "Trust me; I have something so much better planned."

Belle wrapped her arms tightly around Ruby's midsection. "But I heard this place is so romantic." She batted her beautiful blue eyes and smiled brightly. "We can drink tea and talk and…"

"I'm so done with you, Philip!" Aurora shouted, storming out of the shop, breaking into their moment. She walked past the girls quickly with Philip tight on her heels.

"Aurora, come on! You don't mean that!" He reached out and grabbed her arm. "Don't leave like this! I'm sorry!"

Aurora pulled her arm from his grasp. "You're always sorry!" She crossed her hands in front of her. "It's over, Philip! I can't do this anymore. ... I won't do this anymore…" She turned and stormed off.

Philip exhaled heavily, running his hands through his hair. "Aurora!" he called out as he went running after her.

Their eyes followed the couples retreating form for a moment. Ruby looked down at Belle. "Still want to go in there?"

Belle shook her head. "No, let's go with your plan." she replied as Ruby chuckled lightly and walked away from the shop.

They walked through the crowds and passed the rest of the shops to the edge of Hogsmeade. Ruby took Belle's hand in hers, intertwining their fingers tightly as she lead her down the dirt path. The sounds of Hogsmeade faded in the distance as they walked further and further away.

"Where are we going?" Belle inquired, griping Ruby's hand tightly as they walked down an uneven path.

Ruby glanced at her and smiled. "You'll see. We're almost there." She pointed to their right. "There's the Shrieking Shack."

Belle turned in the direction Ruby had pointed. She had read about the Shack, but had never actually seen it. Her attention was focused on the Shack when Ruby stopped short, causing Belle to run into her. When she turned to see what was going on, her jaw dropped in awe. On the ground was a Gryffindor blanket spread out with a basket of food on top of it. There were plates set out for both of them.

"When did you do this?"

Ruby smiled, pulling her close. "I didn't. ... Well, I had someone do it for me."

Belle came to a quick realization and bounced her head. "Graham and August."

"Yep. They did tell me I owe them though."

"Are you sure you want to be in debt to those two?"

Ruby pulled Belle into her arms, smiling down at her. "To give you the perfect first date, I'd be in debt to the world." She leaned closer, giving her a small kiss. She smiled when she received a groan for breaking contact. "Come on, let's eat."

Everything was going well. They laughed, talked, and enjoyed every moment they had together. Ruby opened her bag of sweets again, fighting to keep control of it when Belle leaned into her and tried to take it. She shrugged her away, grasping the bag tightly to her chest.

"Stop!" Ruby ordered, with a laugh. "I'll share. Just let me pick."

Belle exhaled, moving away from her. She crossed her arms against her chest. "Don't try and be funny with some gross flavored jelly bean."

Ruby laughed. "Oh give me some credit." She searched through the bag, finally pulling something out. She held it tightly in her hand as she inched closer to Belle. "Close your eyes."

Belle looked at her suspiciously. "What is it?"

Ruby sighed. "Trust me, please?"

"Fine…" Belle closed her eyes.

"Ready?"

"I don't really have a choice do I?"

"No, not really."

Belle chuckled lightly. "Then I guess I'm ready." She shivered lightly when she felt Ruby inch closer. She could feel the other girl's body leaning into hers. Her scent was overwhelming. "Should I open my mo – "

Her question was cut short by Ruby's lips pressing against her own. Her hand instantly found its place on the side of Ruby's face as her girlfriend leaned into her, causing her to lay back. Ruby hovered over her, her hand resting on Belle's hip as they kissed slowly and deeply. Her hand made its way around, tangling in Ruby's dark hair pulling her impossibly closer.

"You'll do anything to not share your candy..." Belle mumbled as Ruby chuckled lightly and continued their kiss.

Belle gripped the front of Ruby's jacket, one hand still immersed in her soft, wavy hair. Ruby's thumb caressed her cheek softly, her nails digging into Belle's hip as she tried to hold herself back.

But Belle was making it too difficult. She started biting Ruby's bottom lip as she rose upwards slowly to meet Ruby halfway. They separated for a minute, Ruby looking at Belle in confusion. There was something in her eyes that had never been there before, and her hands ripped Ruby's jacket away viciously and threw it to the side.

"Belle, are you – " But she was cut off when Belle kissed her again, this time slipping her tongue into Ruby's mouth. And then all her rationality was gone. It didn't matter that they were in front of the Shrieking Shack or that if they got caught, they would get in detention.

All that mattered was the cool feel of Belle's fingertips on her stomach as they slowly slid upward, stopping at the edge of her bra. Ruby shuddered and pressed Belle further into the blanket, taking control for a moment and kissing her cheek and her neck, nibbling gently on her soft skin.

She felt the touch from underneath her shirt vanish suddenly, and Belle's fingers reappeared on her chin, pushing it upwards so that she was kissing her lips again.

Ruby rolled onto her back, and now Belle was on top of her. Ruby's hands held tightly to her waist as Belle's foot started running up and down her own. She really knew what she was doing.

She was gently slipping Ruby's shirt up, kissing her stomach gently, slowly trailing down with soft lips.

"Belle," she mumbled against her wish.

"Hm…" She mumbled against Ruby's skin.

"We – we can't do this."

"Why not?" Belle asked as she worked her way up, inching Ruby's shirt up as she did.

"No, we – " Her own voice cut her off with a moan when Belle's fingers slid underneath her bra. She had been about to say 'we can't do this _here_', but her words were gone now as she closed her eyes and bit down on her lip, pulling Belle's mouth towards hers again and drowning in the cool, heart-stopping touch of her fingertips.

* * *

"Wow…" Belle breathed as she pulled the blanket over her shoulder. Ruby pressed their foreheads together.

"Wow…" she echoed, wrapping her arm around Belle's waist. Her fingers brushed lightly over soft bare skin. "You really knew what you were doing," she admired, the grin spreading further across her face.

"So did you," she smiled with an adorable giggle. She traced Ruby's cheek lightly with her finger. "And given that this was our first date, I have to assume that you're easy."

"Easy? Like over easy?"

"Sure," she winked. "Assuming we're not talking about eggs…" Belle trailed off and glanced at the blanket wrapped tightly around them and Ruby laughed.

"Oh I see how it is, Belle," she smiled. "Let me assure you. I am not easy. You're the one who came onto me."

"Yeah, and you gave it all away on the first date. … You failed my test."

"Really?" Ruby raised her eyebrows, leaning her face in closer to Belle, staring lustfully at her lips, which were covered in Ruby's lipstick. "I don't usually fail at these tests." She reached up and stroked her hair tenderly. "Did I do something wrong?" Ruby whispered in a low voice, right next to Belle's ear.

"Oh no you don't," Belle mumbled feebly.

Ruby kissed her temple firmly. "I won't stop until you take it back," she smiled. Her thumb brushed over Belle's bottom lip gently.

"I won't do it," she smiled, gazing deeply into Ruby's eyes and betraying her vulnerability.

"You will." Ruby kissed her neck slowly.

"No, I won't," she muttered as her eyes closed and her head rolled back slightly. She was starting to feel light-headed again, her vision blurring as tingles coursed through her body.

Ruby pulled back, hovering over Belle again, her eyes wide and mischievous. "You know … I can do this all day."

Belle paused before giving in entirely, unable to resist the smoldering look that fell from Ruby's eyes. She wrapped her hand around Ruby's neck and pulled her down roughly so their lips were centimeters apart. "I might hold you to that," she mumbled before Ruby crossed the gap, capturing her lips once more and vowing that she would never let them go.


	12. Chapter 12

Ruby sat on a windowsill staring outside. Classes felt so long, but that could have been due to her desire to just want to be by Belle's side. Even in the classes they shared, she wanted to make everyone disappear so they could be alone. A huge reason for that was because of what Belle was doing to her during them.

In the classes where they sat close, she would reach under the table, her finger tracing a soft line up Ruby's bare leg. She'd smile when Ruby would shoot her a look and shake her head. In potions class, she had jumped so roughly at contact Belle had made with her body, she banged the desk with her knee. Graham had given her a strange look and laughed deeply.

Ruby smiled at the memory. She loved this side of Belle. She loved all of her, but this side was special. It was solely for her. No one would ever see this part of her girlfriend. In their minds she would remain shy sweet, and innocent. For Ruby, she was all of that and more.

"Daydreaming, Lucas?" Graham teased, cutting into her thoughts. He and August sauntered up to her. "That's so unlike you."

Ruby sighed as she turned to face them. "What do you two want?" she inquired, ignoring the teasing tone in his voice.

He looked from left to right. Everyone had cleared out for the day so the halls were empty. "Where's your girlfriend?"

"She had to help Mary Margret with something." She drew her brow together. "Why?"

Graham grinned mischievously. "So, you're alone?"

Ruby's look turned suspicious. "Yeah…" she replied, slowly. "What's going on?"

August shook his head, pushing out his bottom lip. "Nothing. It's just been awhile since we've seen you without your better half."

"Yeah, Lucas, we almost forgot what you looked like without Belle attached to your face." Graham added.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "You guys are stupid." She stood from the windows sill. "I'm going to go grab something to eat." She pushed passed them and started walking toward the Great Hall.

"Hold on!" Graham shouted as he and August went jogging after her. "You have a debit to repay."

She shot them both a look. "Repay how?"

Graham grinned as they walked in step next to her. "We want details."

Ruby released a quick laugh. "Yeah, that's not happening."

"Oh, come on, Ruby!" August pleaded. "We are buds! We're supposed to share info about our girlfriends."

"You two don't have girlfriends."

"Which is why we have to live vicariously through you," Graham said, receiving another eye roll from her.

"I'm not talking," Ruby stated firmly as they walked into the Great Hall and took a seat at the Gryffindor table.

Graham sat across from her with August right next to him. "I saw you almost knock your desk over in Snape's class," he told her. "I want to know what the bookworm did to cause that."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay, again, don't call her that." She ran her hand through her hair. "And it's none of your business."

"She has a serious wild side, doesn't she?" August questioned.

"Seriously, guys, drop it."

Graham slapped August shoulder several times with the back of his hand. "I bet she's like, quiet school girl by day, sexy, uninhibited vixen by night…"

"Knock it off…" Ruby ordered through gritted teeth.

August face lit up. "It's always the quiet ones." His smirk spread. "You expected them to be all shy and timid then bam!" He slammed his hand on the table causing everyone to look. "She's inching her hand up your thigh in class because she just can't wait!"

Ruby's face turned red hot. She had had enough. She opened her mouth to speak when "Ruby?"

She watched as the boys' expressions changed at the sound of her name being called. They both looked down, clearing their throats. She closed her eyes briefly and slowly turned to see Belle staring at her, hurt and disappointment lacing her features.

Ruby slowly started to shake her head. "Belle, I – I swear…"

"I can't believe you would talk about me like this!" she scolded, the tears falling before she could stop them.

Ruby felt as if she'd been kicked in the stomach. She stood quickly. "I didn't. … I'm not ... Belle … I …" she stammered, reaching out to take Belle's hand.

Belle pulled away roughly. "Don't touch me," she ordered harshly. She opened her mouth again, but quickly stopped herself. "Just … leave me alone…." She clutched her book to her chest and ran out of the hall.

Ruby watched her go. Her body was in such shock, she was unable to will her feet to move. She felt as if her world had just exploded. She heard an echo of Graham calling her name. Her eyes narrowed and she slowly turned to face the boys.

"Ruby, we're sor – "

She raised her hand, cutting his apology short. "Don't," she ordered. "Just … don't." She shook her head at them and ran after Belle as fast as her feet would allow.

* * *

Belle was determined to get as far from Ruby as she could. She could hear how fast she was coming behind her, the footsteps picking up speed and the panicked yelling of her name echoing through the corridors. "Wait!" Ruby called. "Belle, come on! Let me explain!"

But Belle did not want her to explain. She was still getting over the shock; how could Ruby tell her friends what they had done? How could she talk about Belle as if she was some kind of whore?

"Belle, please! Don't make me beg!"

But she continued to run, tears flowing down her face as she thought about it again.

"Belle, you know I'm going to catch up to you! Would you just stop?!"

Finally, Belle stopped running, standing in the middle of the hallway. Ruby collided into her, almost knocking her over, before she grabbed her hand and pulled her back up, holding her close. Belle shrugged out of her grasp and started walking down the hall again.

Ruby simply grabbed her wrist and spun her back around. "Would you just let me explain, Belle?"

Belle glared furiously into her eyes through her own wet, blurry ones. "Explain what? How you told Graham and August about what we did in Hogsmeade?! How you were making fun of me?! How what we did apparently means nothing to you?! I can't believe I ever …" She cut herself off, tears falling quickly from her eyes again.

"Belle, they were trying to get me to talk about you, but I didn't. I swear. I would never tell them about that," Ruby grabbed her hands. "Don't you trust me?"

She looked down, her cheeks turning red. "Belle," Ruby whispered. "I would never ever in a million years tell those two idiots what we did without your permission. And if you think for one minute that it wasn't important to me…" Ruby trailed off in confusion. She felt a tear drip down her cheek. "Don't you know how much I love you?" Ruby pulled Belle closer to her, grateful that she didn't try to run away this time. She gently lifted Belle's chin with her fingertip and captured her lips cautiously.

For a minute, she thought Belle would protest but she felt her hands wrap around her neck and pull her face closer, her fingers tangling in her hair. She pulled back after a minute. "I'm sorry," she mumbled over and over again. "I don't know what I was thinking. I just got so – "

"It's okay, Belle. Just please remember something the next time you think I might be acting like an idiot."

"What?"

"You are the single most important thing that has ever happened to me. Without you, I'm nothing. Before you, I was just a clueless idiot floating through life. Then one day I found you, and I suddenly was a clueless idiot floating through life with the girl I love."

"The girl you love?" Belle mumbled under her breath, reaching up to take Ruby's face in her hands.

"The girl I love more than anything in the world."

"More than Quidditch?"

"More than Quidditch."

"More than candy?"

Ruby chuckled. "More than candy."

"More than – "

"Belle, more than _anything_." She didn't know what made her do it, but Ruby scooped Belle up in her arms and carried her into the abandoned classroom nearby, a mischievous grin across her face as Belle's fingers moved in circles on the back of her neck.

* * *

Ruby and Belle exited the classroom laughing. Ruby was in the middle of re-buttoning her shirt and Belle her sweater when they noticed Mulan in front of them, her eyebrow raised suspiciously. Both girls stopped in their tracks, a blush forming quickly on Belle's cheeks. Ruby pressed her teeth into her bottom lip, her eyes shifting upward to avoid Mulan's gaze.

"What were you two doing in there?" Mulan questioned, her eyebrow still cocked as she crossed her arms against her chest.

"Belle, uh..." Ruby stammered, pointing over her shoulder. "Was showing me something…"

"Uh huh…" Mulan smirked, turning her full attention toward Ruby. "I was looking for you. We have to get to the Quidditch field for a quick meeting."

"Right now?" Ruby questioned, glancing at Belle who was already pouting.

Mulan nodded. "Right now." She waved her hand. "Come on. We gotta go."

Ruby sighed and turned to Belle. "I won't be long," she promised, resting her hands on her girlfriend's shoulders, rubbing gently.

"You said you loved me more than Quidditch," Belle joked, a small smile playing on her lips.

Ruby chuckled and looked deep into her eyes. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Belle played with the front of her shirt. "Okay." She pulled her closer. "I love you."

Ruby smiled brightly. "I love you too." She moved in to kiss her but paused when she heard Mulan groan.

"You two are nauseating." Mulan reached out and grabbed Ruby by the back of her shirt. "Come on." She yanked her away before she could kiss Belle goodbye.

Once they were far enough away, Mulan released her grip on Ruby's shirt. "You could have let me kiss her goodbye," she stated, adjusting her shirt.

"I'm sure you'll make it up to her later," Mulan replied. Her focus remained straight ahead, but she could still see the look Ruby was shooting her. She smirked and shook her head. "We'll be gone for an hour tops. I'm sure you can stand the time to breathe on your own."

Ruby's eyes narrowed. "I'll remember these little remarks when you actually get into a relationship."

Mulan huffed a laugh. "A relationship? Me?" She shook her head, huffing again. "That's not going to happen."

They turned the corner and headed toward the Quidditch field. Mulan's focus suddenly shifted when she heard shouting coming from right outside the doors. She turned toward the ruckus to see Philip and Aurora arguing. Her brow furrowed as she turned direction and started walking toward them. Ruby paused, confused by her sudden turn in direction.

"Where are you going?" Ruby questioned, pointing toward the field. "The Quidditch field is that way."

Mulan waved her off. "Yeah, one second." Her pace quickened as she walked toward the arguing couple with Ruby following behind her.

"Leave me alone, Philip!" Aurora ordered, pulling away from him. "I told you I don't want anything to do with you anymore!"

"Aurora, come on!" he pleaded, reaching out to grab her again. "See things from my point of view for once! All you do is study! You always have your nose buried in some stupid book!"

Her jaw dropped at his comment. "I'm preparing to for the O.W.L's!" she snapped back. "And my books are not stupid!"

"You have a whole year before—" Philip ran his hand over the top of his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He grabbed her hands. "Please, Aurora…"

"Let go of me, Philip!"

"No, Aurora, I need you to hear me out."

"I'm pretty sure she asked you to let her go," Mulan interrupted sternly as they both turned to look at her.

Aurora smiled brightly at her. Philip scowled. "This is none of your concern, Mulan," he stated.

Ruby watched, a small smirk on her lips as Mulan stepped between Aurora and Philip causing him to break his grip on her. "I'm making it my concern." She stared hard into his eyes, reaching back to wrap her arm around Aurora. "You should go, Philip. I'm sure you have to prepare to lose in the Quidditch finals tomorrow."

Philip narrowed his eyes. He stumbled over several responses before grunting angrily and storming off. Ruby watched him leave, the smirk never fading from her lips. She turned her attention back to the two girls and saw Mulan touching Aurora's face, her eyes shifting over her concerned.

"Are you okay?" Mulan asked, a tiny bit of concern lacing her voice.

Aurora smiled shyly. "I am. Thank you." She placed her hand over Mulan's. "You didn't have to—"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Mulan moved her hand away slowly. She cleared her throat. "I – I have to get to Quidditch so…" She tilted her head slightly, looking into her eyes. "You're okay?"

Aurora laughed, touching her arm lightly. "Yes. I'm fine."

Mulan nodded. "Then I'll see you..." She paused, not exactly sure where she was going with her statement. "I'll see you. Come on, Ruby."

Ruby raised her hand in a short wave, her smile spreading further. She walked alongside Mulan, glancing at her for a brief second. "So, about never being in a relationship…"

"Shut up, Ruby…"

* * *

"Mulan, I swear, the next time you want to drag me away from Belle for a Quidditch meeting, this meeting had better be about more than the end-of-the-year party."

"Come on, Ruby. Give it a rest. You don't even spend time with us anymore. All you do is make out with Belle."

"Well, from the looks of it, you'll be making out with Aurora any time now, so I wouldn't – Ow!" she yelled as Mulan whacked her in the back of the head.

"I don't like Aurora, okay?" She insisted again.

"Deny it all you want. I know what I saw."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. … Hey, did you see Emma at practice? She looked really upset again." Ruby nodded; she had indeed noticed. "What's been up with her lately? She's always sneaking off happy but coming back miserable."

"I don't know," Ruby lied. "Maybe you should ask her."

They stepped through the huge doors and entered the castle again, Ruby glancing every which way for Belle, eager to pay back the kiss she owed her.

As soon as Mulan spotted Ruby's girlfriend, who was curiously engaged in conversation with Regina, she took off. "Later, Ruby," she called.

"Yeah, see you," she replied before running up to her girlfriend from behind and wrapping her arms around her stomach.

Belle gave a small gasp of surprise as Ruby kissed her neck. "Hey, you," she smiled, turning her head upwards to kiss Ruby's cheek.

Regina cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Oh, sorry," Belle mumbled. "What were you saying?"

"Well, actually, now that she's here," Regina paused, "I could use your help too, Ruby, if that's all right."

Ruby looked up curiously. "What exactly do you want, Regina?"


	13. Chapter 13

Regina took a deep breath, looking back and forth between Ruby and Belle. "I don't know if I can do this," she mumbled.

"You can," Ruby insisted as she pulled on her Quidditch robes. "Don't you want to?"

"Yes, of course … but maybe this isn't the best way."

"Regina," Belle put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Everything's going to be fine."

She swallowed hard before nodding. "All right, if you say so. … Good luck, Ruby," she added, turning to leave the girl's locker room. She stopped, her hand resting on the door frame, and looked back. "And thank you – both of you."

Belle and Ruby smiled at her before she left, closing the door behind her. "Well," Ruby sighed, "I've got to go. I've got a game to win."

Belle smirked, grabbing Ruby's hands. "Be careful," she whispered.

"You know me," teased Ruby softly, pulling Belle closer. She brushed the back of her hand against Belle's cheek lightly. "Find me after the game?"

"You know I will." Belle shoved her hands down in her pockets casually.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Oh, for the love of – get over here." She grabbed the lining of Belle's jacket and tugged, sending Belle flying forward into Ruby's lips.

Belle grinned broadly when she pulled back. "Go on, Ruby. You've got a game to win." She pushed her lightly, knowing that if she didn't leave now, she never would. As soon as she was out of sight, Belle covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide the huge smile that had spread across her face.

* * *

Ruby sat on her broomstick, her eyes scanning over the field. Gryffindor had a heavy lead of 120 to 60, but none of it mattered if she didn't catch the Snitch. Across the pitch, Philip was clenching the front end of his broom nervously. David had just scored on him again, and for some reason unknown to everyone but Ruby, Mulan kept whacking bludgers at him.

"And that's Emma with the Quaffle. She dodges a bludger, two Chasers, and now it's just Emma and Philip. Will she score again? … No! Excellent block by Hufflepuff's Keeper." Archie Hopper continued to narrate the game, to Ruby's increasing annoyance. It was harder to focus with his constant commentary.

In the stands, she saw Regina moan when Emma didn't score and Belle was booing loudly. She had certainly become an avid Quidditch fan, now sporting her letterman's jacket whenever possible. Although Ruby had an inclination that, most of the time, she chose to do so for other reasons.

Ruby squinted, looking around the pitch, and then she saw it. Right under Frederick's foot. She took off like a rocket, leaning forward as far as her back would allow.

"Wait a moment. It looks like Ruby's seen something. Yes! There it is! The Snitch! And it's too late now! … Yes! She's got it! Gryffindor wins!"

There was an eruption from the stands as Ruby hoisted the Snitch above her head. She landed on the ground only to be tackled by Graham, then August, then Mulan, then David, then Sean and finally Emma, all of whom were shouting deafeningly in her ear.

"Way to go, Ruby!"

"Atta girl, Lucas!"

Graham tousled her hair, and Emma jumped on her back.

Regina stepped onto the center of the field, her voice echoing loudly. "Hello?"

Ruby looked up from under Emma's weight with a smile on her face, glancing at Belle, who was positively beaming at Regina.

Emma fell onto the ground, her eyes wide in surprise. Everyone else seemed to be thinking along the same lines. David moved forward to get her off the pitch, but Ruby pulled him back by the collar of his robes.

"H – hi, everybody," she stuttered. Ruby stifled a laugh. She was stuttering. Regina Mills was actually stuttering, her cheeks turning dark red. "I have something I need to say. … But first I'd like to give Gryffindor their well-earned trophy."

Everyone was so quiet, and just to spare her, Ruby stepped forward and took it from Regina's hands, giving her a nod of encouragement.

Regina took a deep breath as Ruby stepped back over to her teammates. "Um – Emma Swan?"

Emma stepped forward from behind Ruby, her eyes still wide in confusion. As soon as Regina met Emma's eyes, something inside her shifted, and her eyes started to blur.

"You get the MVP award for your ten goals today … if you want it." She held it out and Emma rushed forward to grab it, but Regina caught her wrist before she could go back to her team.

"You drive me insane," she said suddenly. "Emma, you drive me crazy. I can't live with you, and I can't live without you. … And I don't understand it. … But I don't care."

"Regina, what are you doing?" Emma hissed.

"I don't care, Emma! I don't care that I have no idea what I'm doing," she laughed, the nervousness still lodged in the back of her throat. "But I know I should have done this a long time ago."

It was like there was no one else there. Ruby had her fingers crossed behind her back, but Regina did not do what they had planned. She was supposed to say, 'I love you'. But instead, she spun Emma around by her wrist and planted her lips firmly on her girlfriend's.

Emma was caught by surprise but in one swift motion, she threw her MVP trophy over her head and wrapped her arms around Regina's neck, kissing her back desperately. Her hands ran up and down Regina's face, making sure she could not pull away, but Regina did not show a sign that she wanted to. She held Emma against her, one hand on the small of her back, the other tangled in her wavy blonde hair.

Ruby smiled so widely, she couldn't feel her face. She could feel her cheeks dampen as she let out a quiet "Yes!"

To her left, David looked like he was having a heart attack, matching his girlfriend's expression in the stands. Everyone else had their jaws dropped in shock. Everyone but Ruby and Belle, who were looking at each other, tears rolling down their cheeks and grinning broadly.

Finally, after a very long time, Regina pulled away from Emma and looked into the crowd. "That's right! I love her! … I love her!" she shouted. Emma stood beside her, her eyes filled with love and admiration, crying happily as she held Regina's hand. She quieted her voice and turned to Emma with eyes aglow and whispered, "I love you, Emma," before cautiously placing another soft kiss on her lips.

* * *

"You were amazing today," Belle complimented, wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck. "Not only in the game, but the way you stood by Emma. Stopping David before he did something asinine."

Ruby smiled proudly, shifting to pull Belle a little closer. "Everyone deserves their moment and I wasn't going to let anyone ruin theirs."

Belle smiled back as she gently brushed her fingertips along the back of Ruby's neck. "You're so sweet."

She leaned in closer to Belle. "Keep that between us." Her eyes darted around the room for a moment. "I kinda want to keep my badass reputation intact." She grinned playfully.

Belle rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up..." she ordered with a small laugh as she moved in closer to kiss her.

Graham cleared his throat loudly, causing them to halt. They both looked up to see him and August hovering over them. Graham was rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. "Hey..." he greeted.

Ruby flashed them a strange look. "Hi…" she returned, slowly. She looked from one boy to the next. "What's up?"

Belle didn't say anything. She remained on Ruby's lap, her hands moving from her love's neck to rest on her own legs. She still hadn't forgotten what they had caused the previous day. She lowered her gaze and stared down at her hands.

Graham opened and closed his mouth several times. August nudged him hard in the back urging him to speak. Graham shot him a look. "You can speak too, you know," he stated harshly.

"True, but you started the whole thing," August shot back.

"You're the one who made the comment about her thigh!"

Belle took in a deep breath and shifted uncomfortably at his statement. Ruby noticed her movement instantly. "Guys!" she shouted, cutting into their bickering. "What do you want?"

August waved his hand and Graham grunted. He placed his hand in his pockets. "Belle, we're sorry," he said causing her to return her attention to him. "We were just messing with Ruby. She didn't tell us anything."

August nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I mean, honestly, we didn't even think you'd hear us – " He stumbled forward due to Graham hitting him in the back. He shot him a dirty look. "What the hell, man?!"

"That's not an apology!"

Ruby's eyes narrowed at August and her jaw started to twitch. Belle placed her hand on her face causing the twitching to slow and eventually stop. She turned her head, her eyes meeting Belle's.

Belle stared back, a soft smile on her lips. "It's okay, guys," she said, breaking her eye contact with Ruby to look at them finally. "I accept your apology."

Graham smiled. He looked at Ruby. "What about you, Lucas? Are we good?"

Ruby kept her focus on Belle. She nodded. "Yeah, we're good."

"Great!" Graham motioned his hand. "Well, we'll let you two get back to ... you know…"

Ruby waved him off as he grabbed August by the arm and pulled him away. She wrapped her arms tightly around Belle. "Now, where were we?"

Belle's smile spread as her hands returned to cup Ruby's face. She moved closer, her lips hovering close to Ruby's. "Right about here," she whispered, pressing their lips together finally.

"Hey guys..." Emma interrupted, jumping onto the couch next to them.

Ruby reluctantly broke the kiss with a groan. Belle's fingers trained down her face as she turned her attention to Emma. "Yes, Emma?"

Emma smiled happily at them. "Thank you … for everything," she said, leaning in to hug them both.

Belle rubbed her back. "We're very happy for you."

Ruby pulled away quickly. "Yeah, ecstatic," she added, trying to nudge Emma off of the couch. "Now go away."

Belle shot her a scolding look. "Ruby!"

Emma laughed. "It's okay. I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to say thank you." She looked at Ruby. "I'm going to meet Regina. If anyone asks…" Her smile widened. "You can tell them exactly where I am." She jumped up from the couch and made her way out of the common room.

Ruby watched her go then turned her attention back to Belle. She leaned in to kiss her, but Belle moved back. She looked at her, confused. "What's wrong?"

"That was rude."

Ruby pouted. "I'm sorry." She linked her hands together behind Belle's back. "I just want to be with you. Alone. These interruptions are..."

"Why didn't you tell me about Emma and Regina?" Mary Margaret questioned, hovering over them with her hands on her hips.

"Annoying…" Ruby finished, with a sigh. She looked up at her friend. "Because it wasn't my place, Mary Margaret."

"How long have you known?"

Ruby shrugged. "A couple of weeks. Not long really."

"I can't believe you didn't say anything." Mary Margret crossed her arms against her chest. "I mean, do you think Regina is right for her? What if she hurts her?"

"She won't. She loves her." Belle added.

Mary Margaret shifted her gaze between both girls. "How can you be sure? I mean, is Regina even capable of loving someone?"

"Mary Margaret, just give her a chance..." Ruby requested, running her hand through her hair in frustration.

Belle noticed the gesture immediately and stood from her girlfriend's lap. She took Ruby's hand in hers. "Mary Margaret, if you'll excuse us," she requested before the girl could say another word. She pulled Ruby from the couch. "Ruby and I have somewhere we need to be."

Mary Margaret sighed. "Okay, fine." She pointed at Ruby. "We'll finish talking about this later."

"I look forward to it," Ruby replied sarcastically as Belle pulled her away. When they were far enough from Mary Margaret, Ruby looked at Belle curiously. "Where exactly do we need to be?"

Belle wrapped her arm around her waist, pulling her close. "Far away from here," she stated, inching up to kiss Ruby's cheek as she hugged her close and they exited the crowded room.


	14. Chapter 14

Ruby walked through the yard toward the castle, clutching a bag in her hand. She had been gone for several hours. Belle had gone somewhere with Mary Margaret so she hoped her disappearance hadn't been noticed. She crossed the threshold and turned toward the Gryffindor dormitory. Her eyes glanced quickly from left to right to make sure no one caught her sneaking in.

Her foot had barely been placed on the first step when she suddenly tumbled forward due to a weight on her back. She reached out to stop herself from face-planting on the stairs as a giggle filled her ear and soft lips pressed against her neck. "Belle..." she breathed, shaking her head. She felt her girlfriend release her grip and she shifted her position so she was sitting on the stairs, looking up at her. "What would you have done if I had busted my face on the stairs?"

Belle pouted for a moment as she took a step closer. She leaned down, placing her finger under Ruby's chin. "I would have done this to make it all better," she said, pressing her lips against Ruby's and kissing her lightly. She pulled back suddenly, flashing her a suspicious look. "Where were you coming from?"

"Uh…" Ruby raised her hand to scratch her head. "I went to … I was in..." She blew out a breath as she fidgeted anxiously with her hands. She held her hand out toward Belle. "I was in the Great Hall."

Belle crossed her arms against her chest. "No you weren't."

"Yes I was."

"No ... you weren't." Belle's eyes narrowed as her brow knitted tightly together. "I just left there, and I didn't see you." She waited patiently for a response, but all she received was a blank stare. She exhaled heavily and opened her mouth to speak when she noticed a bag sitting next to Ruby. She pointed at it. "What's that?"

Ruby's eyes drifted to where she had pointed. She quickly slid the bag behind her. "Nothing."

Belle could feel the irritation with her girlfriend's behavior growing. She tapped her foot. "Ruby..."

A small crooked grin crossed Ruby's lips. "Why are you being so nosy today?"

Belle released a small gasp. Her eyes narrowed further. "Why are you being so evasive?"

Ruby kept the grin on her face as she picked up the bag and stood. She placed her free hand on Belle's waist, pulling her forward. She held the bag behind her back out of Belle's reach. She leaned in to kiss her, but was stopped by Belle's hand pushing against her mouth.

"You think you can just kiss me and the whole subject will drop?" she questioned, flashing her a stern look.

Ruby shrugged and mumbled under her girlfriend's hand. "That was the plan."

Belle released a small chuckle filled with disbelief. "I don't think so."

Ruby sighed, dropping her head. She removed Belle's hand from her mouth and looked into her eyes. "Belle, just ... just let this go..." she requested, watching as her girlfriend's features shifted to hurt. She quickly brushed her fingers through Belle's soft hair in an attempt to comfort her. "It's nothing you need to be concerned about." She smiled. "I promise."

Belle gripped the bottom of Ruby's shirt. Her eyes shifted downward for a moment before returning to meet the beautiful hazel staring back at her. She tugged gently, bringing Ruby closer. "Then why can't I know?"

Ruby laughed lightly before kissing her forehead. "Soon. I promise." She moved back, her thumb caressing her love's chin as her focus returned to her eyes. "Trust me." It was more of a question then a request.

Belle's picked up on the tone immediately and nodded.

"Belle! Belle!" Mary Margaret called, running up behind them. She stopped short once she reached them, resting her hand on her hip as she tried to catch her breath.

"You should really start running with David in the mornings," Ruby teased, receiving a dirty look from Mary Margaret and a playful slap from Belle.

"I found that…" Mary Margaret paused. Her gaze shifted from Ruby to Belle. "That thing you were looking for." Her eyes went wide for a moment.

Belle caught the gesture and released a long "Oh".

Ruby raised a curious eyebrow. "What thing?"

Belle turned to her a grinned. "Nothing you need to be concerned about." She leaned up and kissed her quickly. "I'll see you later." She touched her face and walked off with Mary Margaret.

Ruby watched her leave, her arms spread out at her side. "Now who's being evasive!" she shouted.

Belle turned quickly and blew her a kiss. "I love you!" she called out before she and Mary Margaret quickened their pace and disappeared down the hall.

Ruby huffed a small laugh, shaking her head and continuing up the stairs toward the dormitory.

* * *

"Okay, Regina, you know this."

"I know I do," Regina sighed in frustration, lying across Emma's lap on the sofa. Emma held her Transfiguration notes in one hand, the other resting gently in her hair, brushing softly through the strands.

Ruby walked in on them curiously, a bag in her hand. "Is she allowed to be in here?" she asked Emma, who shrugged.

"No, but everybody else is out enjoying the weather, so…"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Look, Lucas, if you're going to actually start some hypocritical lecture and kick me out from your common room, I would appreciate it if you would deafen me first."

Ruby sighed impatiently as she made her way up the stairs to the dormitory. "I wasn't going to say anything. Just don't let Mary Margaret catch you."

Emma nodded, turning her attention back to Regina with a smile. "Come on, baby. We went over this yesterday."

Regina closed her eyes, thinking hard. "This was all the way back in second year," she whined. "Was it … Vera Verto?"

"Yeah," she grinned. "See? That wasn't so bad."

Regina sat up angrily, trying to hide the worry laced in her voice. "Emma, O.W.L.s start tomorrow. What am I supposed to do?"

Emma took her hand gently. "Regina, you're a prefect; you're the smartest person I know; you're the most determined person I know. … You're going to do fine." She kissed her forehead lightly.

"No, I won't," mumbled Regina, grabbing her notes, practically crumpling them in her hand. "I can't remember any of this." Frustrated tears built in her eyes.

Emma smiled warmly. She pulled Regina against her and lay back on the couch. "Just take a deep breath. The more you worry, the worse it's going to be." She played with Regina's smooth, black hair. "Why don't we take a break from studying for a while?"

"I like the sound of that," Regina sighed, relaxing at Emma's touch and nestling into her side.

* * *

"Do you really think she's going to like it?" Belle whispered as she and Mary Margaret approached the portrait hole. "I mean, is it too much?"

"Belle, it's perfect. I think she's going to love it," replied Mary Margaret with a wide smile. "Baubles," she said to the Fat Lady as she swung open to reveal their common room.

Both Belle and Mary Margaret stopped in front of the couch, Belle turning nervously to her friend, who looked livid at the sight of Regina and Emma asleep, their arms wrapped around each other. "She is _not_ supposed to be in here," Mary Margaret hissed, stepping forward to wake them up.

But Belle grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?" she asked quietly, pulling her back into the entryway.

"What am I doing? She's a Slytherin! She shouldn't be in here." Mary Margaret was furious, but at least she had had the courtesy to lower her voice.

"Is that really what this is about?" Belle raised her eyebrows.

Mary Margaret crossed her arms, rolling her eyes and staring at the ceiling, "Yes, Belle. What are you implying?"

Belle suddenly found herself very angry. "I'm implying that you have been nothing but adamant against their relationship ever since the beginning. Ruby may not care for Regina, but she at least makes the effort to tolerate her … _for_ _Emma_. You and David, on the other hand, won't even stay in the same room as her. Do you know how upset Emma's going to be if she finds out that you hate Regina? You're her best friend."

Mary Margaret sighed. "I know, but – "

"No! No 'but'!" Belle insisted. "You don't have to love her; you don't even have to like her. You just have to be nice to her. Do you think you can do that?"

"Hey!" Ruby called quietly, running up to them on her tiptoes. "What are you guys doing over here?" She wrapped her arms around Belle immediately and kissed her on the cheek.

"Nothing," Mary Margaret lied. "We were just talking about – how we'd better make sure Regina doesn't get caught by McGonagall when she leaves."

Belle's lips perked up in a small smile, and Ruby's eyes widened in confusion but she tried to pass it off as a yawn.

"Well, quit standing in the doorway. We can all talk upstairs," she whispered. "Let's let these two sleep."

Belle nodded, grabbing Ruby's hand and tugging her up into the dormitory, Mary Margaret following them hesitantly.

* * *

_Happy Anniversary, sweetheart. Meet me in our spot after you've showered and dressed. I love you so much.  
Belle_

Ruby smiled as she read the note that was left on her pillow. She opened her drawer to place it inside when her eyes caught sight of the small box containing Belle's present. She smiled inwardly as she put the note down and grabbed the box. She opened it, inspecting the item, making sure there were no flaws. It had to be perfect. Everything concerning this day had to be perfect. Once she was satisfied with its appearance, she closed the box and made her way out of the dormitory to meet Belle.

* * *

Belle paced the floor inside the Room of Requirement, nervously fidgeting with her hands. Her gift to Ruby sat on a small table by the couch they had become so comfortable and acquainted with. She heard footsteps and turned immediately to greet the person attached to them. Ruby walked toward her, a wide smile on her lips, looking absolutely adorable in her jeans and red and white flannel shirt.

Ruby couldn't even get out a greeting before Belle crossed the room, threw her arms around her neck, and kissed her deeply. Ruby fell far into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Belle and lifting her slightly off the ground. She felt her girlfriend's hands grip her hair and move to rest on her face. They pulled apart slowly, their foreheads pressed against one another's as their breathing attempted to return to a normal pace.

"Happy anniversary," Ruby said finally. She moved back slightly to look into her eyes. She smiled, caressing the small of Belle's back. "It's been the best six months of my life."

"Me too," Belle responded softly as she took Ruby's hand in hers. "Come. Let's sit down."

Ruby allowed herself to be led by Belle and took a seat next to her on the couch. Belle turned away for a moment to grab a small box from the table. When she had looked away, Ruby pulled her gift from her pocket. Belle could feel her hands starting to shake as she picked up the box. She did her best to control it and turned to face her girlfriend once again.

"Ruby…"

"Belle..."

They paused looking down at each other's gifts. The sizes of the boxes were completely similar. The wrapping mirrored each other as well. They raised their eyes to meet one another, Ruby releasing a small laugh first.

"Please tell me we didn't get each other the same gift," Ruby said, playing anxiously with the box.

Belle furrowed her brow. "No, we couldn't have... I mean..." She paused, shaking her head. "You go first."

"Okay, but I want to say something first..."

Belle shifted, holding her box tightly between her hands. "Alright."

Ruby took in a deep breath then slowly let it out. She ran her hand through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. She shifted nervously, suddenly feeling as if she wouldn't be comfortable no matter how she sat. It wasn't until Belle rested her hand on her thigh that she relaxed. She looked into her girlfriend's comforting blue eyes and finally started to speak.

"Belle, I – am so lucky to have you in my life..." She paused, swallowing hard. "I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you. And, even though some people might think I'm crazy for saying this ... I don't think I will ever love anyone other than you for the rest of my life..." She opened the box slowly, revealing a beautiful sapphire ring. "This ring is a promise ... that I will be by your side through thick and thin ... forever…" She smiled timidly. "If you'll have me, that is."

"Of course I will..." Belle felt the tears well up behind her eyes then fall slowly as Ruby slipped the ring onto her finger. She leaned in and kissed her lightly. She released a small laugh. "You're never going to believe this…" She inched back from Ruby and opened her box, revealing a gorgeous ruby ring. She watched as the shocked expression overtook Ruby's beautiful features. "I love you so much, Ruby.… Regardless if people think we are too young, or crazy, or whatever ... I know I will never love anyone other than you... You are the only person I want to be with... You bring out a side of me I will never share with anyone else..." She slipped the ring on Ruby's finger then raised her hand to touch her face. "I'm yours ... forever…"

Ruby felt her own tears begin to fall as she pulled Belle closer and kissed her lovingly. Their desire and need for one another grew with each touch, each movement of their lips against one another's. Ruby raised herself slightly, leaning into Belle as the small girl laid back, pulling Ruby on top of her. No more words were needed. They were bonded together. Forever.


	15. Chapter 15

"Oh no…" Graham mumbled as Ruby and Belle sat across from him in the Great Hall. "You two…"

They had prepared for this. Ruby had warned her girlfriend that Graham and August would be less than kind about the rings that they now bore on their fingers. But she didn't care, and neither did Belle. They wore them proudly.

"You aren't engaged, are you?" August asked, setting his fork on his plate, no longer interested in eating. "Let me guess. We're your best men."

"Actually, we – "

"Oh my God… " Graham's jaw dropped. "Are you," he lowered his voice, looking from Belle to Ruby, "pregnant?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "No! That's not even possible!"

"I don't know. We do have magic," August said seriously.

"Are you actually serious?" Ruby gaped at him, torn between laughing and signing him up for second grade again. "You think we have some sort of magical baby?" she asked sarcastically.

August looked down in embarrassment and mumbled, "It could happen."

"Well, neither of us is pregnant," Belle spoke up, "and we're not engaged. These are promise rings," she explained.

Graham chuckled quietly before covering his mouth with his hand. "Oh shut up," Ruby laughed. "Just because you two have never been in a serious relationship doesn't mean that – "

"That's it, Philip! We are done!" Aurora's loud shouts echoed through the Great Hall, every head turning to watch the couple's apparently final fight. "I can't keep having this same argument with you! Now, get out of my way!"

"Baby, come on! I love you! Don't you love me?!"

"I – not anymore," her voice lowered, but everyone else was silent, so she could still be heard.

"What?! Just yesterday, you said – "

"I know what I said."

"And you changed your mind that quickly?!" Philip roared.

"It's complicated," she mumbled.

"Complicated?! Just tell me! Did you lie to me yesterday?! Were you trying to spare my feelings?! What?! What is it?!"

"I can't tell you."

"Tell me!"

"Philip, I – "

"Just tell me, Aurora!" he yelled.

"Fine!" She paused angrily. "I'm in love with someone else!"

Philip stared at her, his face hard and angry as her words seeped into his brain. "Who is it?"

Aurora's eyes darted around the room at all the faces staring at her, nosily waiting on her response. "Philip, this is neither the time nor place…"

"Oh, this is the perfect time and place," he laughed, looking around the room. "That way, when you reveal the person who's stolen you from me, I can pull them from their table, and kick their ass in front of everyone."

"I'd like to see you try," a voice from the Gryffindor table stated as everyone turned to look.

Mulan rose from her seat, her hands pressed into the table. Her friends' jaws dropped, but it was Ruby who released a small bark of a laugh at the confession. Mulan shot her a look followed by a roll of her eyes.

Philip huffed a laugh of disbelief. He pointed at Mulan and instantly turned his eyes back to Aurora. "Her?!" he exclaimed, laughing again. "You can't be serious!"

Mulan placed her foot on her seat in an attempt to leap over the table. The boys stood quickly, stopping her from the front as Ruby leapt from her seat and grabbed her robe.

"Relax..." Ruby requested, holding her friend back. Mulan looked at her sternly as Ruby returned her stare. "You've won this battle. ... You don't have to kill him on top if it."

"Aurora is not some prize to be won," Mulan corrected as she attempted to release herself from Ruby's grasp.

Ruby held on tighter. She smirked. "Okay, I got it, but still, don't kill him."

"What in Merlin's name is going on in here?" Professor McGonagall questioned. "I can hear the shouting all the way down the hall."

"It's nothing, Professor," Aurora replied, her gaze shifting from Philip to Mulan. She smiled shyly. "Everything is fine now."

The professor turned her attention to the Gryffindor table to see Ruby holding Mulan's robe. "Miss Lucas, why, when there is some sort if ruckus, do I always find you in the middle of it?"

Ruby's jaw slacked. "I ... but…" She grunted heavily as she released Mulan and returned to her seat. She looked at her girlfriend. "I don't do anything wrong and I still get blamed."

Belle laughed lightly flashing her an apologetic look. "Oh, sweetheart," she cooed as she kissed her cheek.

Professor McGonagall eyes shifted among everyone involved. "I trust if you're all finished eating, you will return to your respective dormitories to prepare for classes?"

"Yes, Professor," they muttered in unison.

She eyed them all suspiciously. "Very well. Off to it." She waved her hands at them as they rose from their seats.

Philip glared at Mulan before pushing past Aurora and stomping out of the Great Hall. Mulan joined her quickly, smiling as she took Aurora's hand in hers and they left together. Ruby flashed Belle a silent told-you-so look, receiving a nudge and a laugh. Belle looped her arm through Ruby's as they followed behind the newest couple.

Graham and August watched everyone leave. "Unbelievable..." he muttered.

At that moment, Regina and Emma passed them, hand-in-hand. August shook his head. "It's like some hot girl relationship trifecta," he noted as Graham rolled his eyes at him and walked away. August held his hands out confused. "What?" he questioned, moving quickly from his seat to follow his friends.

* * *

"Ruby," Belle mumbled, brushing her finger along her girlfriend's cheek. "Baby, look at me."

"I am looking at you," she responded only half paying attention, her mind buried in a game of chess with Emma, her eyes locked on the bored.

Belle pouted for a moment before a mischievous smirk crossed her face. She leaned in close to Ruby's cheek before kissing just below her ear, taking soft gentle bites as she did.

Ruby's attention snapped immediately to her. "Belle, I'm only a few moves away from winning, and – "

" – You are not!"

" – And if you would just wait a minute – "

But Belle cut her off, capturing her lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Ruby let out a small moan of pleasure and gave in easily, her hand rising into Belle's hair just as Belle pulled back. "Let's get out of here," she whispered, her lips so close to Ruby's, toying with her mind and her heart.

"Belle, it's after hours," she mumbled half-heartedly.

Belle smiled, her fingers twisting around a stray lock of Ruby's hair. She locked eyes with Ruby and kissed her lightly again. "I just want to be alone," she smiled.

"Ruby?" Emma called, but this time, Ruby was paying her no attention. "Check mate," she said to no response.

Ruby was trying with everything in her not to give in to her girlfriend. She wasn't used to seeing this side of her, but she was very impressed.

"A – alone?" Ruby repeated, her throat suddenly dry.

Belle nodded. "Let's get out of here." Ruby nodded eagerly as Belle pulled her from the common room by her hand.

* * *

"So when you said you wanted to be alone, you just meant be alone and nothing else?" Ruby asked skeptically as she lay on the sofa in the Room of Requirement, her beautiful perfect Belle nestled in her side. She stroked her hair gently.

Belle closed her eyes and breathed peacefully. "We couldn't be alone in the common room, so…"

"So you decided to seduce me," Ruby smirked. "It's okay. This is nice. Just this." She kissed Belle's hair gently, breathing in her scent. "How much longer do you plan on staying?"

"I suppose not too much longer," she sighed. Belle grabbed Ruby's hand and started playing with the ring on her finger. "I could stay here forever."

"I know," Ruby mumbled.

* * *

It took them an hour to get up and another fifteen minutes to leave. Ruby and Belle finally left the Room of Requirement at 12:30, way after their curfew.

They had almost reached the common room when Professor Snape stepped out of the shadows, causing Belle to almost jump out of her skin.

"Well, well, well," he sneered, "Miss French, I was hoping you would have better taste."

"Let me guess," Ruby sighed, absolutely certain that she didn't give a tiny rat's ass. "Detention?"


	16. Chapter 16

Ruby and Belle followed Hagrid nervously through the Forbidden Forest, Belle clinging tightly to Ruby's arm, and Ruby trying to hide the fact that she was shaking.

"H – Hagrid," Belle stuttered. "Aren't there wer – werewolves in the Forest?"

Hagrid chuckled merrily. "O' course not, Belle." But she did not look reassured.

There was the snap of a twig to their left, and Ruby almost jumped out of her skin, holding Belle closer. "Stay put," Hagrid ordered.

They listened without hesitation. Belle intertwined her fingers with Ruby's. Hagrid disappeared after a few minutes, and they were alone. Their breath came in clouds of fog from their lips.

The moon was full in the sky above them. There was a howl from somewhere deep in the forest and Belle buried her face in Ruby's shoulder. "We should never have snuck out of our dorm," Belle mumbled.

Ruby gathered her bravery and lifted Belle's chin gently. "Come on, Belle. You're a Gryffindor, aren't you?" She nodded, and Ruby kissed her firmly on the forehead, her hand tangled in Belle's hair and her eyes closed. "That's what I thought. … There is nothing to be afraid of. Hagrid will be back soon, and if there are any monsters out here, my furry little friend will take care of them." She gave a comforting smile.

An hour seemed to go by, but it could have been only a few minutes or a few seconds. Ruby could see something approaching ahead. "Hagrid?" she called out, almost desperately, stepping forward with her eyes squinted. All she wanted was to get out of here as fast as possible.

"Ruby…" Belle whispered from behind her.

"What?" There was no answer, and Ruby did not dare raise her voice. She turned back towards Belle, and her heart almost leapt out of her chest.

Belle had backed up against a tree, staring into the eyes of a werewolf. It was standing a few meters away, its head raised curiously. Ruby knew she had to do something. She just couldn't get her hands to grab her wand or her feet to move or her lungs to breathe or her heart to start beating again.

Any spell she used would be almost useless. It was walking forward on four gigantic paws now, and then it was lunging. Its teeth snapped, and it let out a loud, chilling howl. Belle closed her eyes tightly and tried to shift to the side, but all that happened was the wolf bounded in front of her, growling.

It trapped Belle between itself and the tree again, ready to strike. It rushed forward, leaping to bite Belle's face off, but Ruby got there first. She jumped, shoving Belle out of its path as a huge, sharp set of teeth came down on her arm.

Both Belle and Ruby let out a scream, Ruby's lasting much longer, and she hit the ground, unconscious. Belle saw the arrow whiz by the werewolf's head, and she looked up in relief to see Hagrid. The monster turned and ran away, whimpering and howling. But Belle's momentary relief had gone and she dove to Ruby's side.

Ruby's arm was mangled and bloody; several teeth marks pierced the skin, dripping thick red liquid onto the forest floor. "Ruby," she cried, her voice constricted from tears she hadn't even known were there, her hands shaking so violently they ached. "Ruby, come on. Get up." She kissed her gently. "Come on sweetheart. Look at me," Belle took Ruby's face in her hands, and it fell limply against her right palm as Ruby gave a small moan and started shaking on the ground. "Hagrid – what – what's happening?" Belle asked.

"Werewolf bite," he mumbled. "Belle, I need you to ge' to the hospital wing and tell 'em we're comin'." He picked Ruby up gently, her body still shaking, her sleeve now stained with blood.

"No, I – I can't," she cried. "I can't leave her!" She was starting to get hysterical.

"Belle – "

"You – you said there weren't any werewolves here! You – you said – there weren't – weren't any – you left us!" she shouted, tears pouring down her cheeks. Ruby gave a great gasp and woke up.

"Ruby…" Belle whispered. "Ruby, it's okay. You're all right."

Her eyes were disoriented and confused, and she was panting heavily, clutching at her arm. "What – what's happening?" she mumbled. Belle had never seen her look so frightened before. It was unsettling and made her even more scared than she had been before.

"Belle, I need yer to go," Hagrid insisted, his footsteps quickening.

"Belle? … Belle's here?" Ruby asked quietly, and Belle rushed to her side. But by the time she got here, Ruby had passed out again.

"Ruby…" Belle's voice was so quiet that it was inaudible. She turned her head and found that they were already out of the Forbidden Forest. She hadn't even noticed. She just ran faster than she had ever run, faster than she would have thought possible.

* * *

When Hagrid ran into the Hospital Wing, Belle immediately stopped pacing and chewing her fingernails. He set Ruby gently on a bed, and the white sheets were instantly stained with red. Ruby looked so pale and so cold, stirring in her unconscious state.

She was mumbling something under her breath as Belle grabbed her hand, her head bent forward over it. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to figure out what Ruby was saying.

And then she caught it, and the tears fell thick and fast from her eyes again as she kissed Ruby's fingers and held them tighter. "Belle … Belle…" she called out quietly.

"Miss French, you need to go now," Madam Pomfrey said from the other side of Ruby's bed as she examined her injuries.

Belle shook her head. "No, I won't leave her."

"Miss French, please. I need to treat this quickly."

The doors to the Hospital Wing burst open, and Emma ran through, Regina coming slowly at her heels. "Oh for heaven's sake," Madam Pomfrey sighed. "All of you out. Now."

"What the hell happened?!" Emma asked, her mouth open wide. "Is she going to be all right?!"

"Miss Swan, I'm sure it will all be explained to you. For right now, I need you to leave."

Belle didn't move. She just gripped Ruby's hand tighter and held it against her forehead. Emma touched her shoulder lightly.

"Come on, Belle," she mumbled. "It'll be okay. Come on." She allowed Emma to pull her up slowly, wiping under her eyes, which did nothing.

As soon as the doors closed, Belle fell back against them and sunk to the ground, burying her head in her knees as every inch of her body shook with sobs. _What if she doesn't make it?_ Belle thought. _What if she dies … and it's all my fault? _

"Belle, what happened?" Emma asked.

Belle could not even get out a sentence. Regina looked at her girlfriend in horror. "You have no class, Emma," she mumbled as she cautiously sat beside Belle and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Belle," she started awkwardly, knowing they had never been close, "everything's going to be okay. … Ruby's going to be okay."

"No, it's not. She's not going to make it."

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't talk like that. Don't even think it," Regina said firmly. "That's not going to help her get better. Can you imagine how appalled Ruby will be when she wakes up and finds out you didn't think she was strong enough to pull through this?" she attempted a bit of humor, but it didn't work.

"But it's my fault," she whispered. "I'm the one who said we should go to our private place after curfew. I'm the one who got us detention. I'm the one who was too stupid to use my wand when that thing came at me. I'm the one Ruby pushed out of the way."

Regina ran her fingers through Belle's hair comfortingly. "Belle, do you honestly think Ruby would change a single thing? She loves you, and she will always protect you. … It's not your fault. Unless you bit your girlfriend on the arm?"

Belle actually laughed, a small watery chuckle escaping from her lips, and she turned into Regina's shoulder gratefully, her crying slowly dying down.

Emma just stood in front of them and stared. Regina looked at her and mouthed, 'What?'

Emma shook her head in amazement. 'I love you.'

Regina just rolled her eyes and pulled Belle closer, mouthing 'I love you too.'

* * *

"Miss Lucas..." Madam Pomfrey spoke softly, her hand resting on the binding around Ruby's injured arm. "I need to know that you understand what will happen to you. The changes you'll go through…"

Her voice faded into a collection of muffled sounds. The world had started to slow and shatter around her. She stared blankly ahead, her face emotionless. She could feel the tears building behind her eyes, but her current state of shock kept them from falling.

"Miss Lucas?" Madam Pomfrey called out. "Do you understand?"

Ruby turned to look at her, but was still in a complete daze. Her hazel eyes were glassy and her vision blurred as she slowly nodded. "Yes…" she responded finally, her voice barely above a whisper.

Madam Pomfrey frowned. She touched Ruby's face in a comforting manner. "There are ways to tame yourself when it takes over, Miss Lucas." She wiped the tear that had fallen slowly down Ruby's cheek. "You can lead a normal life."

"But … I could still hurt someone…" Her voice broke and she closed her eyes as the tears fell harder. "I could still hurt her…"

"Ruby!" Belle shouted, running across the hospital wing floor. "You're awake!"

Ruby sat up further, wiping her eyes as she did. "Hey baby…" she greeted with less enthusiasm then she intended on faking.

Belle's arms wrapped around her neck and she instantly relished in her touch. Her eyes closed, and she brought her hand up to rest on her girlfriend's head, holding her close. She felt the tears against her shoulder as they fell from Belle's eyes and she fought to control her own.

"I was so scared," Belle whispered, tightening her grip.

Ruby forced a smile. "It's okay. I'm okay," she lied as she stroked her love's hair.

Madam Pomfrey patted the mattress. "I'll leave you be. You're in good hands now." She smiled warmly.

Belle released Ruby reluctantly, her hands exploring her face and neck. She glanced at Madam Pomfrey for a moment. "Thank you … for saving her."

Ruby's eyes lowered and her heart ached. She wasn't sure what was happening to her would be considered saving. She would rather be dead than cursed. She would rather die than live every day with the fear that she might hurt Belle.

Madam Pomfrey gave her a soft, sad smile. "Well, don't stay too late, Miss French. She still needs to rest." With that, she walked away and disappeared out the doors.

Once she was gone, Belle leaned in swiftly to kiss Ruby's lips. When they connected, Belle's brow furrowed. She pulled back slowly, flashing Ruby a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

Ruby tried to look confused by Belle's question, but she knew her love could feel something was wrong. "Nothing ... well, other than the fact that my arm hurts…" she replied, trying to laugh at her own little joke.

Belle's eyes narrowed knowingly. "Ruby, be honest with me," she requested. "Something's bothering you; I know it."

Ruby stared into her beautiful blue eyes, seeing every ounce of worry Belle was feeling. She wanted to tell her everything, but she knew what would happen after she did. She wasn't ready for that. She wasn't ready to lose Belle. Not now. Not ever. But soon, she wouldn't have a choice.

Ruby forced a weak smile, raising her hand to rest on her love's face. Belle turned her face and kissed the inside of her palm, raising her hand to rest over Ruby's. "Sweetheart, please, talk to me…" Belle requested, watching as the tears welled up behind Ruby's eyes again.

Ruby still didn't speak as she pulled Belle forward, resting her girlfriend's head on her chest. She pressed a soft kiss at the top of Belle's head. "You're my world, Belle. And I would make any sacrifice to make sure you remain safe."

Belle drew her eyebrows together at Ruby's cryptic tone. She wrapped her arm around Ruby's waist. "Ruby, you're scaring me."

Ruby released a small laugh, her hand gently stroking her soft brown hair. "I'm sorry..." she apologized, kissing her head again. "I just..." She paused, exhaling deeply. "I just hate thinking that I would never be able to hold you again."

Belle squeezed her tightly. "That's something you'll never have to worry about. Ever."

Ruby could no longer fight the tears and allowed them to fall freely. She lowered her head, pressing her cheek against the top of her girlfriend's head. Ruby held her close as Belle listened to the soothing beat of her heart. They sat in silence for a very long time until Ruby finally spoke.

"I love you."


	17. Chapter 17

Ruby left the hospital after only a day, in perfect health except for the bandage on her arm. Or at least that's what it looked like. There was no doubt in her mind that Belle was worried about her. Ruby knew she would have to tell her, but she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to no matter how many times she tried. And there were only a few weeks left until summer vacation.

Ruby was running out of both time and options. She really did want to tell Belle, but she really couldn't. The last time she tried, she had spilled Belle's entire breakfast on her brand new book and nearly tripped Professor Flitwick while trying to clean it up. The other few times had not been much better.

Right now, they were in the library, Belle hurriedly trying to cram for their exams in one week. Ruby could care less at this point. She was flipping through Newt Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, trying not to alarm Belle by lingering on the werewolf page. So she kept flipping back-and-forth whenever Belle wasn't looking.

"Ruby, do you remember what the spell is that makes invisible ink appear?"

"Did we even learn that?" Ruby asked absentmindedly.

"I don't know," Belle ran a hand through her hair. "But I can't find it anywhere."

Ruby set her book on the table. "Look, why don't we go take a walk or something?"

"We just got here." Belle looked up from her giant pile of notes. "What's going on with you?" she asked, her features filled with concern. "You've been acting so differently."

"I'm fine," Ruby said on instinct.

"Don't lie to me," Belle frowned. "Ruby, if there's something wrong, you can tell me."

Ruby took a deep breath and leaned forward to grab her hand. "Baby, I told you: I'm okay."

Belle leapt up furiously. "No, you're not! Stop lying to me, Ruby! Just tell me what is going on!"

"Belle … it's complicated."

"Of course it is," she muttered, storming from the library in exasperation.

"Belle! Belle, wait!" Ruby cried, running past an annoyed Madam Pince. She caught her girlfriend's arm. "Belle, I want to tell you. I want to tell you more than anything. But I – I don't know how."

Belle's eyes softened, and she gently brushed a strand of hair from her love's face. "You know you can tell me anything," she repeated.

Ruby nodded. "Okay … I'll tell you." Belle smiled and gripped her hand. "But not here. Let's go to the Room of Requirement."

"Of course," she nodded, noticing the sadness in Ruby's eyes. "Hey," she whispered, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist, "it's going to be okay. Whatever this is, we'll get through it together." She could feel the tension in Ruby's body even after she returned the hug.

Something was very wrong.

* * *

Belle sat quietly on the couch, watching as Ruby paced back and forth in front of her. Her stomach turned with each step as she fidgeted with her hands. She had never seen Ruby this way before and she didn't like it. She swallowed hard trying to combat the sudden dryness in her throat.

"Ruby…" she said softly, causing her to stop pacing. "Will you please sit and talk to me?" She released a small awkward laugh. "You're making me nervous."

Ruby blew out a breath, wiping her suddenly damp hands against her shirt as she nodded and joined Belle on the couch. Once she caught sight of the concern and worry in her girlfriend's beautiful blue eyes, her heart dropped. Doubt crept into her mind. She couldn't do this. They would be fine, right? This wasn't necessary.

But it was. It was the only way to keep Belle safe.

Ruby took her hand, her thumb instantly caressing the ring she had given her. "Belle, let me start by telling you the truth about the..." She stopped for a moment feeling the lump rise in her throat. She looked down briefly, her eyes focused on the sapphire shimmering from the glow of the fireplace. "...Night I was bitten."

"Alright…" Belle replied, shifting her hand to interlock their fingers. She used her free hand to cup Ruby's chin and bring her attention back to her. She took in a small breath at how watery the hazel had become. Her concern grew deeper as she held tightly onto her love's hand. "I'm listening."

Ruby exhaled heavily. "Belle, the bite was pretty serious and ... well…" Her face saddened. "Let's just say I'm going to have some pretty rough nights whenever the moon is full…"

Belle head titled confused. "A – are you saying you're a … werewolf…?" the word tumbled from her lips slowly because inside she knew the answer.

Ruby pressed her lips together. Her eyes shifted downward as she nodded in response.

Belle's eyes widened as her brain processed the information. She regained control of her thoughts quickly, resting her hands on the sides of Ruby's worried face. "It's okay. Don't worry. We will be fine."

"Belle, no, listen t – "

"There are potions that can control it," she spoke quickly as if she knew what Ruby was about to suggest. Her eyes darted quickly from left to right as she tried to remember details. "I – I know I've read about them somewhere." She looked deeply into her eyes. "We can get through this. I – "

"Belle!" Ruby shouted, louder than she had intended, cutting her sentence short.

She felt horrible the second the stunned expression covered Belle's face. She had never yelled at her that way. This was what she was afraid of. The sudden burst of aggression. The fear of hurting her with more than just words. Now, more than ever, she knew she had to go through with this.

Her hands wrapped around Belle's wrist, slowly lowering them from her face. "Belle, you know I love you..."

Belle shook her head, the tears falling instantly. "Ruby, no, don't do this…" she pleaded, her voice breaking with every word.

Ruby fought her own tears. She couldn't break. She had to do this, no matter how bad it hurt. She had to protect her from what she was becoming. "We have to…" She cleared her throat, stopping the cracking that would lead to tears. She looked straight into Belle's eyes with determination. "We have to break up. It's the only way to keep you safe."

Belle felt like she had been kicked in the stomach. She couldn't breathe. The room was starting to spin and she felt sick. She pulled away from Ruby and stood quickly. Her arms wrapped around herself as she began to pace the floor. If she didn't keep moving, she was sure she would pass out.

Ruby watched her unsure of what she should do. Her hands gripped the cushion underneath her. "Belle, I can't protect you…"

"I don't need your protection!" Belle shouted as Ruby's eyes widened, taken back by her outburst. Her eyes narrowed. The blue had turned dark and angry, visible under the tears that still hadn't fallen. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself! All I need is you!" Her hand rested against her chest. "Don't you get it?! I love you! Together we can handle anything!"

Ruby shook her head. "No, not this..." She finally started to cry. "If I lose control, I could kill you!"

"Without you, I'm already dead!"

Ruby's heart stopped. She balked at Belle's words. She stumbled over several responses before sighing heavily. She ran her hand through her hair. "I'm sorry. This is ... this is the only way…"

Belle's eyes narrowed further. The tears were gone. She was just angry. "Now I really know how much faith you had in us. Here!" She pulled the ring from her finger and threw it hard at Ruby. "Take back your broken promise." She glared at Ruby, ignoring the sad apologetic look on her face. "Through thick and thin, my ass," she spat Ruby's own words back at her before turning and leaving her all alone.

* * *

Belle didn't start crying again until the minute she fell onto her bed. The good thing was she was supposed to have class today, so she would be alone for quite some time.

Her heart ached with pain and longing, despite the anger she was feeling. Ruby had promised. She had promised. They were supposed to be together forever. That was what they had agreed on. Through thick and thin, no matter what.

But just like that, Ruby had thrown it away. She hadn't even tried to let Belle help her. Belle grabbed her pillow and squeezed it against her chest. It just wasn't fair. She wanted to help Ruby, to keep her safe, to stop her pain. And she could take care of herself.

But Ruby would never let her. She had to protect those she loved, no matter how hard they tried to tell her that she was a good person. That was just the way Ruby was.

Belle's finger felt empty without Ruby's ring on it, but she didn't want to wear it anymore. All it would do was remind her of the way Ruby had betrayed her and broken her heart.

For the first time in her life, Belle didn't know what to do. So she just lay in bed and cried until she finally fell into an uneasy sleep, her cheek resting against the tear-stained pillow.

* * *

Ruby sat outside the castle, staring up at the sky. Her tears had subsided hours ago and now all she felt was emptiness and anger. Being a werewolf was not something she had thought would happen to her. She didn't want this. Then again, who would?

All she wanted was to be happy with Belle by her side. She wanted to be with her forever. Now that was over. There was no forever. Just endless, lonely moonlit nights howling in the darkness. Releasing her pain into the night air with the sound of a heartbroken creature.

Her jaw twitched and her brow knitted angrily together. She pulled out her wand, pointing it toward large rock. The object lifted and with a flick of her wrist went flying against an opposing wall.

"Someone's in a bad mood," a voice from behind here joked.

She turned to see Emma cautiously walking toward her. "I kinda want to be alone, Emma," she stated, looking down at the wand in her hand.

Emma ignored her and sat down. "I saw Belle." She frowned when she noticed Ruby raise her finger to wipe a tear. She placed her hand on her friends back. "What happened?"

Ruby twisted her wand in her hand. Her eyes focused on the movement. "We broke up."

Emma's jaw slacked in shock. "Wh – what? Are you serious? Why?"

"We broke up and, yes I'm serious," she answered hesitantly, releasing a ragged breath. "Because I don't think I can protect her."

"Protect her?" Emma looked confused. "Protect her from what?"

"Me."

"You? I don't understand." She pulled Ruby's shirt making her turn to face her. "Why would she need protection from you? You would never hurt her."

Ruby huffed. "Not intentionally."

Emma made a face and shook her head. "Okay, I'm going to need you to stop being so cryptic and explain…" Ruby raised her bandaged arm and the realization hit Emma quickly. Her eyes widened in shock. "You're going to turn?"

Ruby nodded and lowered her arm. "Every full moon."

"Oh, Ruby, there are potions to control that."

Ruby released a tiny laugh. "You sound like Belle," she noted. Her heart began to ache again at the sound of her name. She began playing with her wand again. "I don't want to risk anything. I don't know what I would do if…" She immediately stopped talking, not wanting to think of what could happen if she lost control around Belle.

Emma wrapped her arm around Ruby's shoulder, pulling her close. "You shouldn't worry about Belle. She's a brave girl. I mean, she dated you for over six months," she teased, smiling as Ruby finally allowed a real laugh to escape. "I think you should reconsider. You need each other. Now more than ever."

Ruby sighed, allowing herself to relax in her friend's grasp. She rested her head on Emma's shoulder. "You know, I did this because I didn't want to hurt her and that's exactly what I ended up doing."

Emma rubbed her arm in a comforting manner. "Just give it a little time and talk to her," she suggested. "Every relationship has a hurdle." She smirked. "You turning into a large panting beast every full moon is yours."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Thanks buddy," she replied, nudging her hard with her elbow before relaxing against her friend once again.


	18. Chapter 18

"Lucas, do you know the spell that turns pencils into tissue paper?" Graham whispered, staring blankly down at his exam paper. His face shifted when he received no response and he cocked his head slightly to look at her.

Ruby was staring across the room in a silent daze. Her eyes locked on Belle. The first day they had class after their break up, Belle made sure to return to her original seat. It was bad enough she had to be in the same dorm as Ruby. Sitting near her was just added torture.

"Lucas," he whispered, more harshly this time as she immediately came out of her daze and looked at him.

He was taken aback by her glassy-eyed stare. She looked tired, and he knew the cause was the nights he had found her sleeping on the common room couch. There was pain and hurt mixed in with the exhaustion and, for the first time, all he wanted to do was hug his friend.

Ruby's eyes were vacant as she stared back at him. "What?" she questioned, her voice harsh from lack of sleep.

Graham shook his head. "Never mind." He tapped his quill on her paper. "Come on, we only have about twenty minutes left and you haven't even started."

"Oh ... yeah ... okay..." She turned back to her paper and started to write. She glanced up for a moment and caught eyes with Belle. She tried to smile, but it faded when Belle quickly looked away. She sighed sadly and returned her attention to her paper.

"Class dismissed."

Belle grabbed her books and hurried from the classroom. She couldn't handle this any longer. Not being with Ruby, but still being in such a close proximity was killing her. She clutched her books to her chest, lowering her head as she made her way down the hall. Her eyes focused on the movement of her feet until she was stopped abruptly by someone who had appeared in front of her.

She gasped as her books dropped from the impact her body made with theirs. "I'm so sorry," she apologized as she knelt down to get her books.

"It's okay, Belle," he laughed as he leaned down to help her gather her books.

She raised her eyes to meet the grinning face of Jefferson. He held out one of her books, and she slowly took it from him. "Thank you," she said, clutching her books once again and standing. She forced a smile. "Well, I have to get to the library before my next class so..."

Jefferson reached out, gently taking her arm to stop her. "Hang on a second," he requested, smiling at her. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Belle looked confused. "Okay…"

He flashed her a crooked grin. "Listen, I was wondering, you know, since you and Ruby are done…" He paused noticing the frown that appeared on her face. His little grin spread as he reached out and touched her chin. "Don't make that face. You're far too beautiful to be sad."

Belle knew she was supposed to be flattered by his words, but she was just more confused. She moved her face from his grasp. "What do you want, Jefferson?"

He lowered his hand, his grin never fading. "Well, we have another free weekend coming up after this week's exams so I was just wondering if you'd like to … you know ... hang out with me during it."

Belle titled her head to the side. "A – are you asking me out on a date?"

Jefferson thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I am."

Ruby followed behind August and Jefferson, barely listening to their conversation. August turned to her and his voice sounded like an echoed wobble. Her brow furrowed as she flashed him a questioning look. "What?"

"I asked if you wanted to grab some food," August repeated, shooting her a strange look.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not hungry."

Graham wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Lucas. You've barely eaten," he added, giving her a comforting squeeze. "Let's get some food in you before our next class."

Ruby sighed and nodded reluctantly agreeing. She allowed herself to be lead down the hall before stopping in her tracks. Her eyes locked on Jefferson and Belle engrossed in conversation. She felt her stomach knot when he reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. A strange heat started to course through her body and her jaw twitched violently.

Graham looked at her. "Lucas, what's the matter?" he inquired as his eyes followed her gaze. His jaw slacked at the sight before him. "What is he doing?"

"Looks like he's flirting with her," August replied, watching them. "I know Jefferson's always had a thing for her since the time he let her out of the … OW!" He raised his hand to his head, rubbing the part Graham had just slapped.

Graham glared at him. "Shut up," he ordered through gritted teeth. His attention returned to Ruby. He could have sworn he heard her growl. "Lucas, don't do anything stupid." He gripped her robe trying to hold her back, but Ruby pulled roughly away and started walking toward them. "Shit…" He and August quickened their steps to follow after her.

"So, you'll think about it?" Jefferson asked hopefully.

"Sure, but I can promise you, my answer will still be no," she responded as she forced an apologetic smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She turned and walked away.

Jefferson watched her leave with a small, smug smirk on his lips. A hand landed roughly on his shoulder and he was turned around violently. "What the…" He laughed when he saw Ruby glaring at him. He pulled from her grip and adjusted his robe. "Hey, Lucas, what's up?"

"What were you doing talking to my girlfriend?" Ruby growled as Graham and August rushed to her side.

"Girlfriend?" Jefferson laughed, squinting slightly. "As far as I knew, you two broke up. Am I wrong?"

Ruby's eyes narrowed angrily. "Stay away from her," she ordered as she took a step forward, but Graham grabbed her arm holding her back.

Jefferson stepped forward so he was eye-to-eye with her. "Why don't we let Belle decide whether or not she wants me stay away?"

Ruby growled again as she attempted to lunge at him, but Graham kept his grip tight. "I suggest you go, Jefferson," he said, holding tight against Ruby's advances.

His smirk spread as he looked at each of them. "You all have a great day," he said as he focused on Ruby for a split second. He huffed a small laugh and walked away.

* * *

Belle didn't know whether or not to be flattered. Jefferson Hatter had always been a good-looking boy, even when they were first-years. He was friends with Gaston and Victor, which did him no good in Belle's eyes, but he had always been less than eager to pick on her, unlike his comrades. And, if she was being honest, Gaston and Victor could barely be called his comrades. Jefferson kind of stuck to himself; he liked to read and play with his gorgeous hair.

He was a Ravenclaw, but just fell in with the wrong crowd from the beginning. Belle knew that he was nice, and his intentions must have been honorable. But she couldn't understand why he would be asking her, of all people, on a date.

It was completely unexpected. Belle had been dating Ruby, a girl, and Jefferson was a boy. After all this time, she had never stopped to wonder whether she liked girls or boys or both. If she was being fair, Ruby had been the only person she had ever kissed, the only person who had ever held her, the only person who had ever touched her, the only person who had ever loved her. And she was the only person Belle had ever loved.

But she had never really been interested in girls before Ruby. She almost found herself glancing at groups of passing girls to see if they sparked anything in her. But there was nothing.

And then she tried looking at the boys. But there was nothing there either.

There was no sudden spark of excitement until she rounded the corner in the Charms corridor and almost ran into Ruby. A look passed between them momentarily. The hazel eyes locked with the blue and Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but Belle shouldered past her. She could not do this again. If Ruby didn't want to be with her, then Belle was going to have to deal with that. She would not get her heart broken again.

Still, as she walked to the common room, Belle knew she had found herself in a conundrum. It seemed that no matter how many people she saw, whether male or female, the only one she wanted was Ruby.

* * *

"Hey, Belle," Jefferson smiled as he walked up to the Gryffindor table. She looked up at him in confusion, her book still open in her hands, her dinner untouched.

"Hi, Jefferson … did you want something?"

"Yes, I – uh – I did actually," he gave her a soft, adorable smile.

Belle's heart filled with guilt. "Jefferson, I already told you that – "

"No, no, Belle, it's okay," he said hurriedly. "I understand. … I was just stopping by to apologize. You just got out of a huge relationship," Belle's heart contracted violently again, "and it wasn't fair of me to jump on you so quickly."

"Oh…" Belle mumbled, her cheeks turning red. "Well thank you," she smiled," that's very sweet."

He gave a lopsided grin and turned to walk away. "Jefferson," Belle stood up and ran to his side. "It's – it's not that you're not – um – I mean you're – well – it's just that I –"

Jefferson chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear like he had before. "Belle, it's fine. Just remember me if you ever feel like you need someone to talk to or if you ever think you might be ready to – "

"Jefferson!" Ruby came out of nowhere, storming up to them, fury in her eyes. "I thought she told you no!" She pushed him. "Now leave her alone!"

"Ruby – "

"Jeez, Lucas," he threw back his arms. "Chill the hell out, all right?!" Jefferson adjusted his robes and rolled his eyes angrily before turning to Belle. "I'll see you?" he asked hopefully, ignoring Ruby's quiet laugh.

Belle nodded, giving him a small wave of guilt, which seemed to make him feel a bit better. As soon as he was out of sight, Belle turned sharply to Ruby. "What the hell was that?!" she yelled.

"Oh come on. He was bothering you," she shrugged awkwardly. This was really the first time they'd spoken since their break-up. It was going quite well.

"He was _not_ bothering me! You're bothering me! Why would you do something like that?!"

"He's a no-good bully, Belle! You know that!"

"He is not! He is sweet! He was _apologizing _to me! That's more than you've done!" she spat.

"What do I have to apologize for?! For trying to protect you?!"

"No!" Belle shouted with a laugh in her throat. "For breaking my heart!"

Ruby went quiet for a moment. "I didn't – "

"Just don't, okay? I don't need this right now," she shut her eyes and ran a hand through her hair.

"Belle," Ruby said softly, stepping forward and grabbing her wrist. She ran her fingers gently through the side of Belle's hair, and Belle closed her eyes further as a tear trickled down her cheek. She pulled back suddenly.

"No … no, Ruby. … I can't," she breathed, turning and running from the Hall.

* * *

Ruby ran up the stairs, quickly walking through the portrait hole. Her eyes darted around the room in search of Belle. She walked quickly toward Emma, who was sitting in a chair studying. "Hey," she greeted, fidgeting anxiously with her hands. "Have you seen Belle?"

Emma glanced up at her. "Not since class." Concern laced her features as she slowly closed her book. "Is everything okay?"

Ruby shook her head. Her hand ran quickly through her hair. "I have to find her." Suddenly, her attention darted back to the portrait hole door. Her feet started to move before she could think of where she was actually going.

"Ruby!" Emma called out, but it was too late, she was gone.

Ruby ran through the halls and up the stairs as fast as she could. There was only one place Belle could be if she wasn't in the dorm. She reached the seventh floor, skidding to a halt in front of the wall. She bent over, her hands on her knees as she did her best to regain a correct sense of breathing. She knew Belle was behind that wall. She could feel it and she had to see her.

Belle sat on the floor, her knees hugged against her chest. Her eyes focused on the flames flickering in the fireplace, her cheeks still stained from the tears that had slowly fallen and soon disappeared. She heard the slow footsteps coming toward her, but didn't turn to look. She just closed her eyes tightly as a warm, familiar body took a seat on the floor next to her.

Ruby reached out to touch her shoulder, causing Belle to shift away. She frowned at the action and allowed her seated position to mirror Belle's. She lowered her head, resting her chin on her arms as she stared straight ahead. She wanted to say something. She wanted to apologize, but every time she opened her mouth to speak, all that came out was a grunt followed by a sigh.

They sat in silence, staring at the flames as they flickered brightly. Every once and awhile, they would glance at one another. Ruby held the gaze longer than Belle most moments. She found herself staring at Belle's profile. Watching her as the light from the flames highlighted her beauty. Before she could stop herself, she reached out and ran her fingers through Belle's hair.

Belle stiffened, gasping at the feel of Ruby's hand in her hair. She tightened her grip around her knees. Her body was fighting the urge to fall into the touch. To turn and throw herself into Ruby's arms. To feel her lips pressed against her own. Her eyes closed tightly again and her lips parted as she finally decided to speak. "Ruby, please, stop…"

"I miss you." Ruby responded, her voice cracking at her confession. Her hand lowered, brushing her fingers lightly against Belle's cheek. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just…" She closed her eyes and sighed. "I just couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you because of this … curse."

Belle moved her face from under Ruby's touch. "You didn't have faith in what we had, Ruby." She tried to inch away from her, but Ruby slid closer. "I would have done anything to make sure you didn't have to go through this alone but, you didn't give me a chance." She finally turned to look at her. "You broke my heart."

Ruby could feel the pain and guilt coursing through her body. She didn't know what to say to make it better. She wanted to make it better. Her hand rose to rest on Belle's cheek. She felt her stiffen at the touch before tilting her head and falling into the warmth of Ruby's hand. Her eyes locked deeply with water blue ones as her thumb gently caressed her cheek.

Without another thought, she leaned in and kissed her. She waited for the feel of Belle's hand against her shoulder pushing her away. For the rejection that was sure to come, but it never did. Belle kissed her back, both her hands cupping Ruby's face, pulling her closer. The kiss was fierce and deep. Every bit of emotion pouring into one moment. Then it happened….

Belle broke the kiss. She leaned back, her palms pushing into the floor behind her to hold herself up. Ruby's eyes widened, her hand still hovering in the air where it once held Belle's face. "Belle..." she spoke softly as she watched her scurry to her feet. She reached out in attempt to grab her hand. "Please don't go."

Belle pulled her hand out of her reach. She held it protectively against herself as her tears began to fall. "I – I can't." She shook her head. "Not now. Not until I can be sure…"

Ruby stared up at her, confused. "Be sure of what?"

Belle swallowed hard, trying to stop her voice from breaking as she spoke but it was impossible. "That – that you aren't – going to leave me again." She shook her head slowly. "I – I have to go." She lowered her head and walked swiftly away from Ruby.

Ruby turned her to watch her go. Her hands pressed firmly into the floor. "Belle!" she shouted, the tears causing her voice to wobble. It was too late. Belle was gone.

* * *

_Dearest Belle, _

_I know it's only one week until you come home, but I just wanted to make sure you're all right. Your letters are different lately. You don't seem like yourself. I'm very worried. Please tell me if there's anything I can do to help. You can tell me. You can always tell me anything._

_I love you._

_Papa_

Belle's hands trembled as she read her father's words. So he could tell. Everyone could tell she was miserable. Belle knew. And now Ruby did too.

She tried to write an uplifted reply, but it didn't work. She could still taste Ruby's lipstick on her lips. She could still feel her fingers in her hair.

Belle's head fell back against her pillow as she started to cry again, rolling over to muffle her tears in the pillowcase. As her hand crept underneath it, she felt another piece of paper and Belle pulled it out.

It was written in Ruby's handwriting; she would have recognized it anywhere.

_I don't deserve this. I'm sorry._

Belle looked at the note in confusion for a minute before reaching underneath and pulling out the charm bracelet she had given Ruby for Christmas. She didn't know whether she was more devastated or angry, but in her frustration, she chucked it violently at the wall opposite her.

As soon as Belle realized what she had done, she sank to her knees on the bed, no longer wanting to feel anything. All she wanted was to go to sleep, but she couldn't sleep anymore. In an act of sheer desperation, Belle reached over the side of her bed and picked up Ruby's letterman's jacket. Part of her wanted to rip it in half, but instead, she put it under her head, her fingers tracing slowly over the L until she finally fell asleep.

* * *

Ruby went to bed around three. She usually fell asleep on the couch at midnight, but she had to be sure Belle was asleep before she could go upstairs.

Normally, Ruby just trudged into the dormitory with a large yawn before falling into bed, but tonight, it was different. Belle was curled up with her jacket. She was shivering, and Ruby longed to crawl in beside her and hold her in her arms. She stood by the foot of Belle's bed for half an hour debating it before she very very gently pulled the blankets over the beauty, brushed some hair from her forehead and kissed her lightly. "I love you," she whispered softly before finally going to lie in her bed and stare at the ceiling, praying for sleep to come.


	19. Chapter 19

Emma and Regina were sitting on the docks over the Black Lake, their fingers intertwined on the wood as they stayed silent. A cool, comforting breeze blew across the water, and Emma lay back and looked up at the sky. Only a few seconds later, Regina joined her, her finger gently playing with Emma's golden curls.

After several minutes, Emma finally broke the silence. "I'm really worried about Ruby and Belle," she admitted at last. "We only have a few days until break."

"I know. … Have you tried talking to Ruby?"

"Only a hundred times," she sighed. "She just gets this blank look in her eyes, like her mind's somewhere else."

"And they still won't talk to each other?"

Emma shook her head.

"Well, there must be something we can do." Regina sat up again, her mind deep in thought as her girlfriend rolled her eyes.

"We could always tie them down and force them to talk to each other," the Gryffindor muttered sarcastically.

But Regina perked up. "There's an idea."

"What?" Emma laughed. "I was kidding. You can't seriously think that any good could come from that."

The fifth-year gave her girlfriend a crooked smirk. "We could lock them in a classroom and force them to talk to each other. And we won't let them out until they both agree they were being stupid and that they love each other."

Emma sat up. "Normally, I would say we should stay out of other people's business, but Ruby did spend half an hour standing at the foot of Belle's bed last night."

Regina suppressed the urge to laugh.

"But … there's something I don't understand."

"What is it?" Regina asked, placing a hand on Emma's thigh.

"Why do you care about what happens between Ruby and Belle?" Emma raised her eyebrows suspiciously.

"Because they helped me find the courage to do things like this in public," she whispered with a devious smile as she pulled Emma's lips to hers gently, her thumb stroking the other girl's cheek.

* * *

"I'll meet you back here in fifteen minutes," Emma said as she and Regina separated in determination. Regina was going to find Belle while Emma was in charge of tracking down Ruby.

It was an easy task. Ruby was where she always was on the weekends: lying face-down on her pillow, catching up on her sleep.

Emma shook her awake.

"Whazzgoinon?" she mumbled, barely moving.

"I need to talk to you."

"Hm…"

"I need to talk to you," Emma repeated, raising her voice.

"Now?" grumbled Ruby, slowly turning over to reveal exhausted, bloodshot eyes.

Emma nodded, and very slowly, Ruby sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning widely. "Okay…" She yawned again. "What's up?"

"I have something to show you. Come on."

"You mean I have to move?" she whined.

A long time ago, Emma might have found this amusing, but not anymore. "Just come on, Ruby." Ruby sighed in exasperation before practically rolling off the bed.

* * *

Regina had been looking for Belle for ten minutes when she finally found her. She was in the library, flipping through the pages of a thick book. Her eyes were unfocused, and she clearly wasn't taking anything in.

"Hey," Regina approached her cautiously, a warm smile on her face.

Belle looked up slowly. "Hi, Regina," she returned the smile half-heartedly.

Just like Ruby, Belle had deep, dark circles under her eyes, and they were blurry with tiredness. "You look exhausted. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, there is," she leaned her hands onto the table. "I need you to come with me."

"Why?" Belle closed her book. "Is it Emma? Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly."

* * *

Ruby followed Emma into an empty classroom, yawning heavily. "Okay we're … here. … What's going on?"

"Can I see your wand for a second?"

Ruby raised her eyebrows, but reluctantly handed it over. She was too tired to question why.

Just as she did, Regina opened the door and led Belle inside. When the two girls locked eyes, Belle turned the faintest shade of pink and headed for the door, but Regina grabbed her arm, reaching swiftly into her pocket to snatch her wand.

"Come on," she pleaded. "Just talk."

"Emma – "

"No, Ruby! You two need to talk this through."

"I can't believe you," Belle groaned, sinking into a chair.

"We're going to lock you in here, and you're not coming out until this gets fixed," Regina smirked at Belle's baffled expression.

"This is ridiculous," chuckled Ruby as she slumped against the wall, her arms crossed and her eyes closed.

Emma and Regina walked to the door. Just before Emma closed it, she turned back with a smile and said, "Try not to kill each other."

The room was silent for several minutes. Belle stared down at her hands, watching as her fingers intertwined with one another. Ruby stood by the wall, staring out of the window, her arms crossed protectively around herself. Ruby glanced at Belle for a moment, then turned away with a sigh.

Belle looked up when she heard her breathe. "What?" she questioned, causing Ruby to turn her attention to her again.

"I didn't say anything," Ruby responded, giving her a strange look.

"You sighed."

Ruby released a small laugh and rolled her eyes. "So I'm not allowed to breathe now?"

Belle gave her a flat stare. "I know what it means when you sigh like that." She crossed her arms. "If you have something to say then just say it."

Ruby's jaw twitched. She closed her eyes for a moment as she ran her hand through her hair. "Okay." She pushed herself away from the wall and grabbed a chair. She placed it backwards in front of Belle and straddled the seat. Her hands clenched the back of the chair as she went over the million things in her head she wanted to say. "You didn't have to leave the room that day. If you had given me a chance to talk – "

"You kissed me, Ruby," Belle interrupted, her leg bouncing nervously. "I'm pretty sure talking was the last thing on your mind." She crossed her leg over the other in an attempt to stop the nervous movement.

"Well, you sure as hell didn't stop me." Ruby smirked as Belle rolled her eyes and looked away. She felt the twinge of guilt turn her stomach. She breathed out, running her hand through her hair again. "I'm sorry."

"For what exactly?" Belle inquired, her eyes still focused on the furthest wall in the room.

Ruby stretched her hands out before clasping them together. "Everything." Her face saddened as Belle slowly turned her attention back to her. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I didn't believe that you could handle what I'm going through. I'm sorry I didn't have enough faith in you to know you are strong enough to take care of yourself." She gripped the chair and began to move it forward. The legs clomped against the wood floor until she was as close to Belle as she possibly could be. Her hazel eyes looked at her sincerely. "I'm just … sorry."

Belle looked into her eyes. Her resolve started to melt away. She just wanted to wrap her arms around her and hold her. She opted to rest her hands on Ruby's face, feeling as her jaw twitched anxiously under her palm. "I forgive you." She smiled warmly at her. "Just, please, don't shut me out again. I want to be there for you. I know I can help you get through this." She leaned closer. "You have to believe in me. Believe in us."

"I do." She turned her head and kissed the palm of Belle's hand. She slowly moved her hand in from her face and held it tightly. "I just love you so much. I would die if anything happened to you." She raised her hand to her lips, kissing it softly; her eyes remained locked with Belle's. "I just wanted to protect you."

Belle continued to smile, her eyes watering slightly. "Like I told you before, I don't need your protection," Belle assured her, a lot more calmly then the first time she told her. Her smile spread as she raised her free hand to lightly run her fingers through Ruby's hair. "I'm as much as a Gryffindor as you are. As long as I have you, I can handle anything."

Ruby smiled widely. "So..." She leaned forward in the chair so her lips were just centimeters from Belle's. "Are we good?"

Belle nodded as she leaned in closer. "We're perfect," she whispered as she pressed her lips to Ruby's closing the space between them for good. She pulled back momentarily, resting her forehead against her girlfriends. Her eyes closed as her fingers brushed gently against Ruby's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too." Ruby gave her another small kiss. She leaned back a bit and raised an eyebrow. "What are you going to tell Jefferson?" She laughed.

Belle bit her lip in thought, scrunching her brow together. "Oh, I didn't think about that." She tilted her head. "I guess I should cancel our date for tonight."

Ruby's jaw slacked and she released a small gasp. "You better be kid – " Her words were cut off by Belle's lips meeting hers once again. She fell deeply into the kiss, holding her as close as she could with the chair in between them.

"See, this is much better!" Emma gushed as she and Regina entered the room.

The girls reluctantly broke the kiss and turned to them. "Okay, Emma." Ruby shook her head and stood from her chair. "Let's keep the gloating down to a minimum." She offered her hand to Belle, who took without hesitation, and helped her out of her chair.

Emma made a face and shook her head. "I'm not going to gloat." She stepped closer. She crossed her arms against her chest. "I just want to hear a thank you."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Fine," she breathed. "Thank you, Emma." She turned her attention to her girlfriend. "And thank you, Regina."

"You're most welcome," Regina replied as she walked forward and handed Belle her wand.

"Thank you, Regina," Belle said, accepting it with a smile.

Ruby wiggled her fingers toward Emma. "Can I have mine back, please?"

Emma scrunched her face in thought until Regina elbowed her side. "Ow, babe…" she muttered, shooting her a look. She sighed and handed Ruby her wand.

"Appreciate it," Ruby grinned as she placed her wand in her pocket. She pulled Belle close, wrapping her arms around her waist. She kissed her cheek. "Wanna go enjoy the rest of this day?"

Belle nodded. She looked to Emma and Regina hopefully. "Why don't we all do something together?"

The other two girls exchanged glances and nodded. "Sure, why not?" they agreed as they exited the classroom together.

* * *

"You guys have got to check this out," Ruby grinned widely as she dove into the depths of her trunk. Emma and Regina leaned against Mary Margaret's bed post as Belle crouched by her girlfriend's side. "I found it second year," she started pulling out socks and robes and spare bits of parchment until finally, Ruby held the largest, filthiest parchment of all triumphantly.

"Ooh," Emma said marveled sarcastically. "A piece of paper!"

"Shut up Emma," Ruby rolled her eyes. "You won't get to come with us if you keep this up."

"Come with us where?" Regina asked.

Ruby got a mischievous look in her eyes as she took out her wand, tapped it on the parchment and mumbled, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Before their eyes, the map transformed. It unfolded itself and was now so large that Ruby had to lay it across her bed. "Is that…"

"Hogwarts," Ruby finished Regina's question.

Emma had the biggest grin on her face. "This is a map of Hogwarts," she turned to Ruby, who nodded.

"It shows everyone."

"Everyone?" Belle asked.

"Everyone. What they're doing every minute of every day."

"This is – unbelievable," Regina gasped, running her fingers over the edge. "Is that really Victor Whale in detention with McGonagall?"

Ruby smirked. "Yeah, he's in there a lot."

For a few minutes, the girls just stared at the map until Belle pointed at the top left and said, "There's us," and just as she had discovered, the map showed Regina Mills, Emma Swan, Ruby Lucas and Belle French in the fourth-year girl's dormitory of Gryffindor Tower.

"So what are we going to do with this?" Emma asked Ruby.

"Well … I've actually found seven secret passageways out of the school, and this one," she pointed to the right, behind the One-Eyed Witch statue, "leads right to Honeyduke's cellar."

Emma's eyes widened. "Let's go!" she said excitedly.

Ruby chuckled and began folding up the map. Regina looked both amazed and concerned, and Belle was torn between her curiosity and her principles as the three girls followed Ruby out of the common room.

* * *

"Ruby, I am a prefect, and I assure you If we get caught – "

" – We're not gonna get caught," Ruby rolled her eyes as she led the girls through the dark corridor, their wands lit and held out in front of them.

"It smells down here," Emma noted, her voice laced with excitement.

"Ruby, how long are you planning on us being gone?" asked Belle, who, like Regina, was certain they would be caught and punished.

"Just relax, baby," Ruby grinned and intertwined their fingers. "Have a little fun."

Belle sighed but was quiet the rest of the way. Finally, after a good ten minutes in the dark, damp tunnel, the top of Ruby's head collided hard with something, and she reached up to open a step ladder that fell from the floor of Honeyduke's cellar.

She backed up, colliding with Emma, who was staring open-mouthed at the many boxes of candy, her eyes wide and hungry.

Regina glanced at her girlfriend and rolled her eyes as she followed Belle cautiously up the steps. Once Emma had joined her, Ruby closed the hatch and turned towards the boxes. "Well … help yourselves."

"Wait. So you steal now?" Belle asked, her eyebrows raised sternly as she peeked into an open box of Licorice Wands.

"No, of course not," Ruby reached into her pocket and pulled out several gold Galleons. "I may not care about rules, but I don't steal."

Emma had already opened a package of Chocolate Frogs and was tossing one to Ruby when Regina crossed her arms. "I'm still not sure about this. I mean … I _am_ a prefect."

"Yes, Regina, we know," Emma muttered with her mouth full as she pulled out a box of candy apples. "Come on," she held one out. "I know they're your favorite."

Regina pursed her lips but finally gave in and grabbed it from her girlfriend's teasing hands as the blonde smirked and went back to her own stash.

Ruby dove into the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Belle kneeling beside her, licking a giant lollipop contentedly. "Okay," she smiled unwillingly at Ruby, "this might be awesome."

"Might be?" Ruby winked, raising her eyebrow and pulling Belle closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. She buried her face in Belle's soft brown curls and kissed the top of her head lightly.

Behind them, Emma and Regina had abandoned the candy completely and were locked in another passionate kiss, their hands clutching the front of each other's shirts. Belle turned into Ruby's shoulder to hide her laughter.

Ruby just smiled and went back to the box of beans in front of her, searching for the good flavors. Her eyes landed on peppermint and she quickly took it and ate it, enjoying the cool, sharp taste on her tongue.

Very suddenly, there was a crash from upstairs, and Ruby, Belle, Emma and Regina all looked at each other at once before hurriedly trying to clean up their mess. Ruby left the Galleons on the box of Cauldron Cakes and was the last one to descend the step ladder before shutting it tightly behind them. Just as she did, footsteps echoed above them.

Ruby glanced to her right, expecting Belle to be staring angrily at her, but instead, she just licked her lollipop and laughed underneath her hand. Even Regina was chuckling as Emma kissed her cheek.

* * *

Ruby checked the halls before waving the girls forward. "Coast is clear," she whispered as they all hurried out of the passage way.

They hurried down the hall laughing. Regina stopped, causing Emma to stumble back. She turned to her girlfriend in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Regina pointed over her shoulder. "My dorm is this way," she noted.

Emma pouted and took a step closer. "Can't you just hang out a little longer?"

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Emma, I'm a pre – "

"Please not the prefect speech again," she groaned and rolled her eyes. Regina gave her a flat stare and crossed her arms, causing her to laugh. "I'm just messing with you, baby." She pulled her into a hug.

Regina resisted for a moment before hugging her back. She leaned back to look in her the eyes. "Meet you tomorrow at The Black Lake?"

Emma smiled. "I can't wait." She moved in closer and kissed her.

"Awwwww..." Ruby teased as Emma raised her finger in a symbolic gesture, causing her to laugh.

They separated shortly after. Regina bid them all farewell and hurried off to her dorm. Emma shot Ruby a look nudging her roughly. "Remember what you just did when you two are in the middle of one of your make-out sessions," she threatened as Ruby scrunched her nose and laughed.

When they finally reached the common room, Belle and Ruby took a seat together on the couch. Emma stopped and stared at them curiously. "Not going to bed?"

Ruby shook her head, wrapping her arms around Belle. "We're gonna stay down here for a bit," she said, wrapping her arm around Belle's shoulders. "We'll be up soon."

"Alright. Night."

Once Emma was gone, Belle snuggled close to Ruby. She rested her head on her chest and draped her arm over her stomach. Ruby smiled before pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"I missed this," Belle whispered, squeezing Ruby lovingly.

"Me too," she replied, running her fingers through her girlfriend's soft hair. "Wanna go to the Owlery tomorrow?"

Belle looked up at her curiously. "Sure, but why there?"

Ruby shrugged. "We haven't really seen it and it'll be nice to get outside and talk about stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"

Ruby pulled her impossibly closer. "Everything is fine." She kissed her forehead before sighing lightly. "I just think ... maybe ... we should discuss this whole me being a werewolf thing…"

"Oh…" Belle sat up slightly, her hand remained resting on Ruby's stomach. She looked into her girlfriend's eyes. "We can talk about it now if you want."

Ruby's hazel eyes remained fixed on her as she shook her head. She reached out, brushing her fingertips lightly against Belle's cheek. "I don't want to talk tonight." She inched closer as her perfect smile spread across her lips. "I just want to enjoy having you back with me. We can talk tomorrow."

Belle couldn't help but smile. Still, she wanted Ruby to know that if there was something she wanted to discuss, she was ready to listen. "Are you sure?"

Ruby came even closer. She grinned as her lips hovered closely to Belle's. "I'm positive." she whispered as she pressed her lips softly against Belle's. All conversation disappeared and faded into the night as took delight in the feeling of being together once again.

* * *

Ruby sat on the steps of the Owlery waiting for Belle. She said there was something she needed to do and promised to meet her there. It had been almost an hour and there was still no sign of her. Ruby sighed, placing her hand on the wall as she attempted to lift herself up. At that moment, Belle came bounding up the stairs.

"I'm so sorry I kept you waiting," she said, attempting to catch her breath. She kissed Ruby quickly before joining her on the stairs.

Ruby flashed her a strange look. "What took you so long?" she asked as Belle placed a large book on her lap. She looked down at the cover and immediately grinned. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

"I should have known something was up when I saw you reading this book instead of studying." Belle smirked knowingly.

Ruby cocked her head to the side. "I didn't think you noticed."

"I notice everything you do." Belle gave her another kiss and reclaimed the book. She flipped to the page concerning werewolves and began to read. Ruby rested her chin on her shoulder and read with her. "Are you scared?"

Ruby pouted. "More about hurting anyone than anything else." She wrapped her arms around Belle. "Especially you."

Belle reached back, placing her hand on her cheek. "I know you won't hurt me, Ruby." She closed the book and shifted so she was facing her. "What about the first time you transform? You're not scared?"

Her eyes darted back and forth as she processed the question. She felt the shiver run down her spine at the thought of turning into an animal. She wondered about the pain. Would she remember any of it? Would she remember anything at all? How quickly would it take over? How quickly would it end?

"Hey, hey…" Belle whispered, cupping her face in an attempt to bring attention back. She caught the worry in her love's eyes and wrapped her arms around her neck. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Ruby wrapped her arms around her. "I don't want this..." Her voice cracked with sudden fear.

"It's going to be okay." Belle stroked her hair comfortingly. "I'll do whatever I can to help you through this." She leaned back to look into her eyes again. "I'll make the potion. I'll be with you the entire time."

Ruby shook her head. "No, Belle, you can't. Wh – " Her objection was cut short by Belle's finger being placed firmly over her lips.

"I'll be with you the first full moon," she stated, moving her finger away. "Even if that means going home with you when school ends."

Ruby squinted slightly as an adorable crooked grin crossed her lips. "You'd do that for me?"

Belle nodded. "I'd do anything for you." She leaned in closer, brushing her lips against Ruby's. "I love you."

Ruby smiled widely. "I love you too." She closed the small space between them and kissed her.


	20. Chapter 20

**a/n: I apologize for the delay. I've been really busy lately; this delay is entirely my fault and not redbeautyftw's. So this is the last chapter, but I'm going to finish up Unexpected and Need a Hand over the summer as well as continue with Lost :) Not to mention the 2nd collab redbeautyftw and I will be doing and a surprise redbeauty oneshot to come. Thank you all for your support. I love you guys!**

"One more day!" Graham's voice carried throughout the dormitory. The sound of his feet stomping on the floor caused a series of groans to echo through each room. "One more day!"

Ruby growled as she buried her face in Belle's hair. She pulled her closer, snuggling tightly against the smaller girl's back. "I don't want to move," she grumbled.

Belle chuckled lightly. "You never do," she noted, rubbing her love's arm. "Come on. Let's go enjoy our last breakfast."

When Belle attempted to sit up, Ruby's grip tightened, keeping her in place. "No … stay here…."

"Ruby…" Belle breathed. She attempted to sit up again, but the process was terminated quickly. She exhaled heavily and turned in Ruby's arms so she was facing her. Her eyes narrowed at the noticeable grin on her girlfriend's lips. "I'm hungry."

Ruby's eyes remained closed as she shrugged her shoulders. "Eat later.…"

She sighed again as her mind raced for a way to get her girlfriend out of bed. A small grin formed on her lips. "If you don't get up, I can't give you the gift I have for you."

Ruby's eyes opened quickly. "Gift? What gift?"

Belle rolled her eyes, shaking her head lightly. "Nice to know the only way you'll get out of bed is if I offer you a present."

"Well, why would I want to get out of bed when I'm in it with you?" She smiled brightly. "They would have to drag me out by my feet."

"Or offer you a gift."

"Exactly."

Belle laughed. "You're ridiculous."

Ruby pulled her closer. "But you love me."

"Sometimes," Belle teased, giving her a chaste kiss.

She finally broke free of her grasp and walked toward her dresser. She pulled out an object and hid it behind her back before returning to the bed. Her knees pressed into the mattress as she rejoined Ruby. Ruby propped herself up, waiting patiently for whatever Belle had for her.

Belle looked down for a moment, tucking her own hair behind her ear. She locked eyes with Ruby again. "I thought you deserved to have this back." She brought her hand around, revealing the charm bracelet she had given Ruby all those months ago. "Sorry, one of the charms is bent. I kind of threw it against the wall." She bit her lip timidly causing Ruby to chuckle.

"Thank you..." She watched gratefully as Belle slipped the bracket onto her wrist. Her eyes widened for a moment and she snapped her fingers. "Since we are returning things…"

She turned slightly, reaching into her drawer. She returned her attention to Belle, presenting the sapphire promise ring to her. Belle immediately held out her hand and Ruby slipped the ring back on her finger. She held her hand gently and closed her eyes as she placed a light kiss on the top of it.

Her eyes met Belle's again and her smile widened. "This will never come off your finger again, promise?"

Belle touched her face. "I promise." She leaned in and pressed their lips together.

"Oh, geez, come on." Emma groaned from the doorway with a grin. They reluctantly broke apart and looked at her. She looked from one to the other. "I'm hungry. Can you two breathe on your own for a bit so we can eat?"

Ruby shot her a look. Emma raised her eyebrows, silently letting her know that this was her payback. "We'll be right there, Emma."

She smirked as she turned and walked away. A moment later, a loud bang followed by Emma screaming Graham's name was heard coming from downstairs. "One more day!" he shouted followed by the sound of several footsteps and Emma's continued reprimanding.

The girls exchanged glances before rolling their eyes. They gave each other one last small kiss before rolling off the bed and preparing for breakfast.

* * *

As Ruby and Belle entered the Great Hall, they immediately sensed something was different. There was a feeling of anticipation in the air as students talked about their plans for summer, and Belle was reminded of the promise she had given Ruby, the promise she fully intended to keep.

"Where's Emma?" Ruby asked as she sat beside August, glancing around for her friend. "I thought she was starving."

"She went outside to eat with Regina. They only have a few more hours together until it's over so…" Graham winked as he buttered his toast.

"Well, they'll see each other over the summer, I'm sure," Belle spoke up hopefully, but Ruby shook her head.

"Regina won't agree to it. After the Quidditch final, word got around, and her mother is less than pleased to say the least."

"She can't stop them from seeing each other."

Ruby turned to Belle with her eyebrows raised. "Haven't you heard about Cora Mills?"

"No … should I have?"

"She's the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister," replied August. "I'm surprised you of all people don't know."

"I don't read the Daily Prophet. It's completely biased. And my father is a flower salesman, so he wouldn't be able to tell me."

Graham chuckled across the table, and Belle looked at him curiously. "What?"

"Flower salesman," he mumbled between laughing, and Ruby kicked him from underneath the table.

"Oh ha ha," Belle rolled her eyes. "So what's so bad about Cora?"

"My dad told me she's got a lot of power, and she uses it to get whatever she wants," August said. "He says that's why he got fired. He was getting too friendly with Dumbledore, and Cora didn't like it."

"I heard she's heartless," noted Graham.

"Come on…" Belle scoffed. "Nobody's heartless."

"She is, Belle. My older brother told me that the dementors are only afraid of her because she's the only one they don't affect."

"And she doesn't like anyone who's not "normal"," Ruby added sadly. "No half-bloods, Muggleborns, centaurs, giants, mermaids, dwarves … or werewolves. She's trying to pass some terrible law to banish anyone who's not a Pureblood from the magical world."

"That's horrible," Belle gasped.

"That's bullshit," Graham roared, spraying the table with small pieces of scrambled eggs.

"I just feel bad for Regina," Ruby sighed. "Can you imagine having a mother like that?"

"Oh, it's not so bad. Most of the time she just complains about what a disappointment I am." The four Gryffindors looked up, Graham and August turning their heads, to see Regina and Emma standing there with their fingers intertwined. Regina had an amused smile on her face.

"Regina, we're sor – "

"No, it's okay Ruby." She grinned even wider. "So we're complaining about my mother then?" Regina sat down next to Graham, her elbows on the table as she looked at them expectantly.

Everyone in the Great Hall turned to look at the small group of friends, who were glancing nervously at themselves as well. Regina had sat with them outside, had even been in their dorm, but she had never sat at their table before. She was still smiling at their stunned faces, waiting for them to continue their conversation.

Graham was the first to speak. "So … true or false? Does your mother have a secret army of Acromantulas in your basement?"

Regina tilted her head at him for a moment. Ruby thought she might yell at him, but finally, she said, "False. The Acromantulas are in the attic."

August laughed, and very slowly, Ruby, Belle, Graham and Emma joined him, Emma sitting beside her girlfriend and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"What about the Inferi?" Graham smirked.

"Swimming pool," Regina replied easily.

The rest of the students gradually stopped looking at the Gryffindor table as Regina continued to amuse them.

"Does she really know where the Philosopher's Stone is?"

"Absolutely not."

"Does she have a heart?" Graham asked eagerly.

"Yes and no, she keeps it in a box in our family's cemetery."

"I knew it!"

"She was kidding," Belle rolled her eyes.

"I was not."

"Have you ever touched it?"

It was at this point that Emma's head slowly hit the table as she tried to ignore Graham's questions.

* * *

Ruby stared into the fire place, angrily muttering to herself. Belle sat close, her legs draped over Ruby's, her back resting against the arm of the couch. The sound of her girlfriend grumbling caused her to look up from her book. She smiled at the adorable aggravated expression on Ruby's face then returned her attention to her book.

"I don't know why you thought the outcome would be any different than it was." Her words were laced with laughter breaking the silence of the room. She could feel Ruby's eyes on her, but she didn't look up. "With as many points as you cost us this year – "

"Hey!" Ruby interjected, playfully squeezing her girlfriend's calf. "It wasn't just me, you know?" Her eyes narrowed further in a mock glare when she saw Belle roll her eyes behind her book.

"I'm just surprised we still had enough to come in second," Belle teased. She went to turn the page, but the book was rudely ripped from her hands. She dropped her jaw in disbelief. "Excuse you."

"Pay attention to me. I'm upset," Ruby whined as she inched closer. She shifted their position so her head rested over Belle's heart, her arm draped over her waist. "I can't believe we lost to Hufflepuff."

Belle stroked her hair in a comforting manner. "There's always next year." She kissed the top of her head. "Phillip was quite smug about the victory, wasn't it?"

Ruby huffed. "Until he saw Mulan and Aurora making out in the corridor." She closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of Belle's fingers in her hair. "That little smirk disappeared really quickly after that."

Belle chuckled. Her smile faded slowly as she continued to stroke her loves hair. "Ruby, about the summer…"

"I understand if you don't want to come home with me," she interrupted, trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

"No, no, I do," Belle assured her as she leaned her head to the side. She placed her finger under Ruby's chin so she was looking at her. "This is about your grandmother. Is she going to be okay with me? … With us?"

Ruby nodded. "Oh, yeah, Granny can't wait to meet you." She smiled. "I will warn you, she can be a bit intense."

Belle's smile returned. "Most older witches are."

"What about your dad?" Concern filled her hazel eyes momentarily. "Is he going to be okay with this?"

"He did quite a bit of protesting at first, but he knows when I have my heart set on something, there's no stopping me." She leaned in kissing the tip of her girlfriend's nose. She moved back to look into her eyes. "He does want to meet you though. Perhaps at the train station, if that's alright?"

Ruby felt nervous suddenly. The only parental contact she had her entire life was her grandmother. She wasn't familiar with how to act around fathers, especially when she was dating their daughter. For Belle, she was willing to try anything. The nervous feeling subsided when she felt her love's fingers brush against her cheek.

Her perfect wide smile crossed her lips. "That'll be perfect." Ruby agreed, leaning up to kiss her.

Belle broke their kiss for a moment, her lips still hovering closed to Ruby's. "I'm so glad you got us detention that day," she whispered.  
Ruby's eyes widened. "Me? That was you! Why do I always get blamed for every—" Her argument was halted by Belle kissing her once again. "It was still your fault," she murmured through their kiss as her hand gripped Belle's waist.

Belle smiled through it. Her hand slid through Ruby's hair, gripping it gently. "Whatever helps you sleep at night," she teased, causing Ruby to growl. She laughed, breaking the kiss as she looked into her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you more," Ruby joked as Belle rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she responded, pulling Ruby closer and kissing her once again.

* * *

"Last day!" Once again, Graham's cries echoed through the Gryffindor common room, waking everyone in time for breakfast. Ruby and Emma groaned, silently vowing to kill that boy the next time they saw him.

To Ruby's surprise, Belle was still curled up beside her, her hand resting over Ruby's heart as she took slow, deep breaths.

Ruby kissed the top of her head softly, taking in the beautiful scent of her shampoo. Her love stirred lightly before finally looking up to rest her beautiful blue eyes on Ruby's hazel.

"Hi," she mumbled softly, a gentle smile spreading across her face.

"Guess what day it is?" Ruby chuckled, tucking a lock of hair behind Belle's ear.

"We get to go home today," Belle smiled, leaning up and brushing her lips lightly against Ruby's.

"Yes, we do. And then we get to spend the whole summer together." There weren't enough words to describe how happy this made Ruby, how grateful she was that Belle was staying with her. And as Belle continued to smile at her, her heart continued to flutter, looking forward more than ever to the time they would soon spend alone.

* * *

Breakfast passed as any ordinary breakfast to everyone's surprise. In almost no time, their bags were packed, their dorms empty, and the Hogwarts Express had rolled up to the station, waiting to take them away.

Ruby and Belle grabbed a compartment with Aurora and Mulan. Regina and Emma had decided to get one for themselves so they could spend the rest of their time together with no distractions.

"So what are you two going to do this summer?" Ruby asked as she sat down, pulling Belle on top of her lap, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"I'm going to sit on my ass," Mulan said sincerely.

Aurora rolled her eyes, but a smile split across her face as she stared at her girlfriend lovingly.

"What about you, Aurora?"

"I'm going to Paris this summer with my family. It should be nice." Mulan looked out the window sadly, and Aurora intertwined their fingers in reassurance. "What are you guys going to do while you're alone?" She raised her eyebrows.

Ruby chuckled quietly, leaning her head down so that her lips brushed softly against Belle's neck.

"I see," Aurora replied.

Belle held up her hands in protest. "No, no, no, there is no way we are spending the whole summer doing that, Aurora."

"Don't listen to Belle. She knows she can't resist me."

"Really? Or are you the one who can't resist me?" Belle teased her, brushing her fingertips slowly up Ruby's leg.

"Okay, we can leave if you two want to be alone," Aurora laughed, and Ruby and Belle turned red instantly.

* * *

Belle could feel the wheels of the train start to slow down underneath her, and her palms began to sweat. Maybe she should just go home with her father and avoid facing Granny at all costs. Maybe Ruby and Belle could run back to Hogwarts and just stay there all summer.

"Belle?" Ruby smiled at her reassuringly, placing her letterman's jacket around Belle's shoulders. "Are you ready?" she asked softly.

And that was all the comfort she needed. Those wide hazel eyes told her that everything was going to be okay. "Yeah, I'm ready," she smiled, surprised at how suddenly confident she was, "let's do it."

Ruby took her hand and led her past Aurora and Mulan who were saying an eager goodbye before they had to get off the train and pretend they hardly knew each other.

They passed Regina and Emma's cabin and found them saying a much longer and sexier goodbye. Belle made to walk forward but Ruby stopped her, tapping her knuckle against the glass.

Regina pulled back for a moment, looking as though she would kill whoever had dared to interrupt them, but when she was it was Ruby, her expression softened and she pulled open the door.

"What is it, Ruby?" Emma asked, holding tightly to Regina's hand as a few tears fell unnoticed from her eyes.

"Are you going to be okay this summer?" Ruby stepped forward slowly. "At the orphanage?"

"Oh you know me," she smiled and a few more tears slipped from her eyes. "I'll be okay."

Ruby rolled her eyes and pulled her into a tight hug. "We'll write you every day. I promise. And you can come visit whenever you want. As long as you want."

Emma nodded, pulling back and looking at Regina again. Belle could tell they just wanted to be alone, and she tried to pull Ruby away, but apparently it was not quite time yet.

Ruby looked at Regina and stuck out her hand. "Friends?" she smiled.

Regina didn't hesitate in taking it. "Friends."

With her usual grin, Ruby sighed and said, "Then get in here, buddy." She pulled the fifth-year into a hug as well. To Belle's surprise, Regina chuckled, kissing Ruby on the cheek. "If you need anywhere to go, my door's open," she assured her.

Regina nodded. "Thank you, Ruby." She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Um..."

"Of course," Belle smiled, finally pulling Ruby from the compartment, but not before she saw Regina pull Emma into her arms, her eyes filled with more love than Belle could comprehend.

At last, Ruby and Belle stepped out onto the platform. Belle gave a small gulp, but Ruby intertwined their fingers and once again, she knew she had nothing to be afraid of.

"There's my granny," Ruby pointed to a large, older woman who was looking very shocked as she stared at her granddaughter.

Belle was pulled in front of the woman by Ruby, and she gave her a feeble smile, her cheeks turning pink. "H - hi," she stuttered. "Belle French. It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"Let me stop you right there, child."

Way to go, French, she thought. You couldn't even make it to their house.

"Whatever you do, don't call me ma'am. You can call me Granny. Everyone does."

Belle nodded slowly.

"And why on Earth is your girlfriend so skinny, Ruby? She looks like she hasn't eaten in days."

"I ate this morning," Belle insisted, not quite sure how to talk to this woman.

"Well, we'll just have to fix that over the summer, dear. Do you like cheeseburgers?" And Granny gave her a warm, motherly smile as Ruby wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek happily. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Just over her shoulder, Belle recognized another face. It was her father, and unlike Granny, he was not giving her a warm smile. Her cheeks went from pink to red, but she stepped toward her papa cautiously. Immediately, he wrapped her up in a protective hug like he did every time she came home. It was the kind of hug that nearly brought Belle to tears as she clung to her father's jacket like she had on her very first day of school.

"Oh Belle, I've missed you so much," he sighed.

"I've missed you too, papa."

He pulled away and looked over her head at Ruby for one second before looking back at his daughter. "Belle, are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure," she replied.

"Absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely sure."

"And she's good to you?"

Belle smiled. "She's the best."

"Okay..." He stepped towards Ruby and her grandmother. Belle was surprised to find Ruby blushing worse than she had, and Belle slipped her hand into her girlfriend's.

"So you're Ruby?" Moe asked.

Ruby nodded.

"Well, you better take good care of my Belle this summer. I don't want to hear she's gotten into any trouble."

"Of course, sir," she put on her winning smile, and immediately, Belle saw her father's features soften. "I won't let you down."

"Good," he nodded before turning to Granny and thanking her.

Ruby pulled Belle off to the side. "I don't think he likes me," she confessed.

Belle rolled her eyes. "Yes, he does. He's just a bit awkward sometimes," she chuckled. "Besides, everyone likes you."

"Not everyone."

"Oh that's right," Belle smiled, wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck. "I love you."

Ruby wound her arms around Belle's waist. "I love you too." She brushed her nose lightly against Belle's before pressing their lips together gently.

As Belle pulled back, she took Ruby's hands, intertwining their fingers. She stared down at their connection for a long moment. Belle on one side, Ruby on the other and their sturdy little bridge in between.

**The End.**


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